Cape Town - Western Cape premier Helen Zille was definitely not saying the Western Cape was “in the bag”, although she said she was always optimistic.
The gist of her message to journalists gathered outside the church hall in Rosebank, where she was among the first to cast her vote, was that it is private this voting thing and you can never know for sure what the outcome will be.
Journalists prodded the premier a little with questions about the hullabaloo over Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane’s use of Nelson Mandela’s name during campaigning.
One got the feeling that this particular controversy was running out of steam when Zille gave the cool, calm response: “Madiba belongs to all South Africans, just as George Washington belongs to all Americans.”
There was absolutely no evidence of any frostiness towards her successor when the former DA leader was asked if she was satisfied with how the election campaign had been run.
Yes, she was, she said. “We have never run a better or more intense campaign.”
African News Agency