JOHANNESBURG – Former Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille says her disciplinary process has very little bearing on her premiership, adding that there are very clear rules in the party’s constitution on who must stand down and when.
Zille was responding to her suspension on Wednesday after the federal executive made the announcement.
She shared Google documents on Twitter detailing why she shouldn’t have been suspended by the party.
The Western Cape premier says she imagines it would be difficult now for her to have a free and fair disciplinary process.
Over the weekend, the DA leadership served notice on their intention to suspend her, giving her 72 hours to provide reasons why this should not be done.
“There are very clear rules in the constitution which determine who must stand down and when as premier and what has to happen before that. And that’s not for the DA specifically and alone to decide.”
At the same time, Zille says she’s preoccupied with the recent fires in Knysna which have seen the evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes.
Zille’s publicised her response less than an hour after the DA confirmed it's suspended her from party related activities pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing.
The party’s spokesperson Graham Charters said: “She was given an opportunity to make representations as to why she should not be suspended, that deadline was at 5pm yesterday.
“The DA federal executive then met this morning and deliberated through the day as to whether Ms Zille should be officially suspended – just moments ago that decision was finalised and the gave effect to her suspension immediately.”
The DA says Zille’s tweets on colonialism have damaged the party’s reputation in the public mind, but moving forward under the leadership of its leader Mmusi Maimane that damage could be rectified.
Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) say Zille should be removed as premier of Cape Town.
The party said any suspension that does not have an implication on her position as premier is futile and irrelevant to the rest of the people.
The EFF said if Zille is found to have breached her oath of office she would not be representing DA constituents but rather, what they say, are her racist views.
EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the party says the DA has demonstrated its incapacity for administering justice and prioritising the people of South Africa.
“The DA, if it wants us to take them seriously as a party capable of administering justice, they have to remove her and allow her to defy their call then. They must tell her ‘You are suspended, you are to immediately get out as premier until such time that your DC is concluded.”
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