The DA has called for a top government official to be suspended for likening Premier Helen Zille to “Mein Fuehrer” and PW Botha on Facebook.
Patric Tariq Mellet, a director of Home Affairs in the Western Cape, posted a Facebook comment labelling Zille “motormouth” and “racist” following her controversial “refugees” comments.
It read: “The Devolved Apartheid Party (DA) are now really going back to their roots....Zille everyday more and more sounds like PW Botha---the skew mouth, the wagging finger, the voice with the wry smile and pregnant pause, and the Apartheid talk about alien refugees flooding into the White-Coloured Labour Preference Area...wow...this closely follows her Butcher of Hangberg orders to deal ruthlessly with opposition resulting in ‘the shoot the eyes out of protestors’ action by kitskonstabels.
“Mein Fuehrer Helen Zille motormouth does not cease to amaze with her cloned NP style. The DA really have become the Devolved Apartheid Party. How she justifies her racist rants just deepens the foot in mouth desease.
“PW Botha has risen from the dead. She really does him proud.”
Dr Wilmot James, the DA federal chairman, and also a Facebook “friend” of Mellet’s, was outraged.
“The problem is that this gentleman is a senior official of government, a Director of Immigration Services for the Western Cape,” he said.
“There are three points to be made.
“First, his words are that of a bigot and constitutionally amounts to hate speech. Second, he should be suspended by the Home Affairs Minister, Nkosazana Zuma, for unprofessional and unbecoming conduct. And third, he should be exposed for what he his, a closet loon with no sense of judgement – or history. This is ANC cadre deployment at its worst. That he is in charge of home affairs in our province is a terrifying thought.
“He certainly is no friend of mine and adjustments will forthwith be made to Facebook!”
In response to questions posed by the Cape Argus, Mellet said: “I am on Facebook in my personal capacity in my own free time and not as a public servant… please go and read the constitution on this matter.
“It is clear that there is no restriction on public servants to express themselves in the political arena.”
He said: “Also be very careful not to put words into my mouth… Mein Fuehrer… is simply referencing a tendency towards Botha style – the leader knows what is good for you (it is not referencing Hitler).”
Mellet’s nickname is “Zinto” and is described on social and business networking sites as “Director: Head Immigration Services Western Cape, in the Department of Home Affairs South Africa”.
He said on Thursday his title was Director of Maritime and Aviation projects with the Department of Home Affairs.
Cape Argus