Race counts in politics, Zille concedes

Published Feb 4, 2014

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Piet Rampedi, Lebogang Seale and Sapa

DA LEADER Helen Zille has conceded that race does matter in politics, but denies that her party has parachuted black leaders into leadership positions as window dressing.

She said she courted AgangSA leader Mamphela Ramphele because “being black in South African politics today is a powerful message”.

Zille said Ramphele’s political pedigree, struggle background and academic achievements also played a role.

Addressing a media briefing in Johannesburg yesterday, in the wake of the aborted merger with Agang, Zille described the former World Bank director as a “world brand” with a worldwide reputation as an academic, doctor and manager.

“She’s also black. That’s a powerful combination in a South African context, very powerful indeed. We can’t say race doesn’t matter and is irrelevant,” Zille said.

“But certainly if Mamphela had only been black with none of the rest of the many attributes that I have come to know in her, she wouldn’t be under consideration.

“It was a combination that was important.”

Ramphele has admitted that she blundered by allowing herself to be put forward as the DA’s presidential candidate.

Ramphele said the aborted merger was a “rushed” decision and apologised to Agang members for the “unhappiness and distraction” her decision had caused.

“We learn from mistakes. It was Madiba who said if you err, get up and dust yourself off,” Ramphele said yesterday, addressing journalists at Agang’s headquarters.

She reiterated statements she made at Agang’s launch last year, when she said the racial scars were still too deep to heal for South Africans to trust the DA.

“If I now have to be a DA member, to see that dream and vision (of changing South Africa’s political landscape) realised, then I unfortunately cannot pursue the DA offer. There are millions of South Africans who will never vote for the DA, but they want a home, which Agang will give them,” she added.

“I believed that we had the opportunity to transcend party politics and engage South Africans in a conversation about the future,” she said.

“The last week has demonstrated that, for some, this new way of thinking about our future will be hard to achieve right now.”

Ramphele said some people were not able to transcend party politics and the time for a partnership with the DA was not right.

“Some cannot or will not transcend party politics. We see people trapped in old-style race-based politics.”

Although the DA remained important, both parties had made a mistake by believing that what so many people distrusted could magically disappear. She said the DA had made premature pronouncements.

Zille said many DA leaders had been parachuted into leadership positions before as part of her calculated risk strategy, and “90 percent of the risks have worked. Not all risks turn out well”.

Over the past few years, black leaders had been promoted in the DA, including Lindiwe Mazibuko, Mmusi Maimane and the party’s South Gauteng leader Khume Ramulifho. “I reject the insinuation that that any of my colleagues on this platform will be window dressing.”

Zille added that her party simply supported “good talent rising to the top” as part of achieving diversity.

Zille made it clear she now thought Ramphele was not presidential material.

“During the course of the past week I realised that we couldn’t in good conscience say Mamphela can be the president of South Africa.”

Political analyst Professor Susan Booysen said the abortive merger had done immeasurable damage to both the DA and Agang.

Zille’s support for Ramphele as the DA’s presidential candidacy exposed her political naivety, she added.

“It really acknowledges to the world that they have no confidence in their ranks, and that includes Mmusi Maimane and Lindiwe Mazibuko.

“That is the most devastating damage,” Booysen said.

She added that the DA tried to get Ramphele out of desperation to “break the race feeling of their own support”, but black voters “were not necessarily going to fall into their lap”.

“They tried to woo other significant voters of black Africans and erroneously saw her (Ramphele) as a magic wand that voters will come freely.

“It showed their shallowness about their argument about race,” Booysen added.

Professor Lesiba Teffo said while Ramphele’s political fortunes and moral integrity had taken a serious dip, Zille was likely to emerge unscathed from the incident.

“I think Zille will survive because she has always taken people into her confidence.

“It’s a risk she was taking but she wasn’t alone.

“So there will be people who will defend her,” Teffo said.

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w @ButiManamela: #OneNightStand by Proffessor, Adele’s Rolling in the Deep (We could have had it all). Don’t Cry for me @helenzille

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w Follow us on @CapeTimesSA

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