Michelle Jones
Helen Zille is touring the country in the run-up to the municipal election and sometimes hops on a supporter’s private jet to make her way quickly between provinces.
While Zille often takes commercial flights when travelling around the country she sometimes uses a private jet offered by a supporter.
Zille’s spokeswoman, Priya Reddy, refused to name the owner of the jet yesterday. “It is one of our benefactors who lent it to us.”
Following closely behind Zille, is Cape Town writer Marianne Thamm who is penning a book about the DA leader and premier, provisionally titled Finding Helen.
“There is someone who obviously supports Helen and the party,” said Thamm.
A lot of time wasted while taking commercial flights and when Zille had to get somewhere quickly, she occasionally hopped on to the jet.
“It is fun to do but she is incredibly respectful of it.”
She did not know who owned the jet. “I am not aware of it, no,” she said.
Thamm had joined Zille on the jet on a number of occasions. She had travelled with her during the election campaign in Limpopo, KwaZulu- Natal, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and parts of the southern Cape.
“I can’t keep up with her schedule It is just hectic. In the last week of the campaign, I’ll be following her everywhere.”
Dressed in jeans and takkies, Zille would make sure to tweet before take-off and then surround herself with documents and newspapers while on the jet.
“She occasionally looks for her lipstick, which she can never find, and scratches in her bag until she finds an old one.”
Thamm said Zille had asked for advice on how to remove her make-up.
Not a big fan of make-up herself, Thamm wasn’t able to offer many suggestions.
Thamm said she thought accompanying Zille on the election trail would provide “nuance and colour” for the book that she was researching.
Thamm said she had been aware of Zille since the 1980s when Thamm was a journalist and Zille was a member of the Black Sash, the End Conscription Campaign and afterwards, in various careers.
“Helen Zille has been part of that landscape – as people may or may not know – in various capacities for many years.
“I find her quite an interesting and complex character.”
Thamm said it was interesting to determine why Zille had entered politics, a field generally dominated by men.
Thamm said she had first started thinking about writing a book when Zille was elected leader of the DA in 2007.
She then realised that while she may know Zille’s history, others may not.
“It was time to attempt a portrait of her.”
She sent Zille an SMS and suggested it was necessary that someone wrote her biography.
Zille responded that Thamm should try and she soon began research and finding time to spend with Zille between the leader’s increasingly heavy political commitments.
Thamm said because she was funding the book herself, it had become a “stop-start project” which she picked up every now and then when she was able to.
“I decided to revive the book again because the election is a significant entry point. These are very important elections.”
She said the results of the May 18 election would show whether Zille’s vision of the DA and how it would govern was resonating with South Africans.