DA leader Helen Zille says her support for Lindiwe Mazibuko was never secret, and she had actively canvassed for the political novice to lead the party’s parliamentary caucus.
This follows criticism by DA MP Masizole Mnqasela of Zille for her role in lobbying support for Mazibuko.
At the weekend Zille referred to Mnqasela’s criticism of Mazibuko as “Verwoerdian thinking”, drawing parallels with the architect of apartheid’s preferences based on race.
“Everyone knows I canvassed support for Lindiwe. I chose not to go public, but I was entirely open about it inside the party,” said Zille.
As leader she set a vision for the DA and give it direction, and her support for Mazibuko showed that, she said.
And as a member of the party’s caucus she was as entitled to an opinion as everyone else.
“In fact, it is my responsibility to give leadership. It is not my job to select the next leader of the DA, but it is crucially my role, while I am leader, to give direction on where I believe the party should be going,” said Zille.
Zille refused to answer questions on Mnqasela’s future in the party after he told the media that her leadership of the DA was akin to the management of a spaza shop.
And while the party preached democracy, its actual practice was “something else”, Mnqasela told the Cape Times.
The ANC has meanwhile called on Mnqasela to return to its fold after he was rebuked by Zille. ANC chief whip in the City of Cape Town Xolani Sotashe said the DA was unable to manage diverse views even as it recruited members, and canvassed for votes, in mostly black townships.
“I am not surprised that at last Masizole Mnqasela has seen the light. He is now able to separate politics of desperation and moral values and principle. The DA will never transform, instead it will only change its colours as a party,” said Sotashe.
In her weekly newsletter Zille denounced Mnqasela’s views as “Verwoerdian thinking” after he questioned the credibility of Mazibuko as a candidate to lead the DA in Parliament.
Zille’s support for Mazibuko and the claims that she had lobbied members of the 83-member caucus bore the hallmarks of “a dictator who likes to have fingers everywhere… We have seen that in the City of Cape Town where she was remote-controlling everything from Wale Street and poor (former mayor) Dan Plato had to carry those instructions irrespective of mayco’s position,” said Sotashe.
He said Mnqasela was a product of the ANC but had left the party to join the DA because he was “hungry and desperate for power”.
Independent political analyst Daniel Silke said Zille’s attack on Mnqasela and his subsequent response was unprecedented, and was a reflection of the very public nature of the DA’s parliamentary leadership battle.
“I suspect that he will either be disciplined or face the wrath of Helen Zille,” said Silke.
And although Mnqasela’s criticism of his party leader played into the hands of the ANC it was unlikely to split the DA’s parliamentary caucus, he said. - Cape Times