No one who understands politics takes Karima Brown seriously – Helen Zille

Journalist Karima Brown was highly criticised by Democratic Alliance leaders following her interview with the party’s MP, James Selfe, on Thursday. In the interview, Brown shared her views on why the DA lost the white vote and also slammed the party for only raising objections to some aspects of the elections, apparently because they were losing votes to the Freedom Front Plus. According to Brown, party agents could have also stopped people from voting twice.

She said to a quiet Selfe: “More importantly, because you had party agents giving you information in real time, you could have actually stopped it from happening, so people didn’t have to vote twice. So when they saw someone voting twice they could have stopped it from happening because that is why you have your party agents there to protect your interests.

“I don’t hear the DA complaining about tents that were blown off, I don’t hear them complain about voting stations that did not open at all in KwaZulu-Natal. The objections that you raise may be factual but they are driven by the fact that your support is being eaten by the Freedom Front Plus.”

But the DA camp was not impressed with how the interview was conducted.

Responding to the interview, outgoing Western Cape Premier Helen Zille said no one who understood politics took Brown seriously as a journalist

“I have never thought anything of Karima as a journalist. But she is one of many. It [reflects] badly on eNCA that they use her. No one who understands politics takes her seriously. A complete embarrassment to journalism. She has been a disgrace since her days on the SABC. How the hell were the party agents supposed to know people had voted before at different voting districts? Idiotic.”

The party’s Athol Trollip also criticised Brown for her apparent “lack of knowledge” about the voting system.

He said: “Yesterday Karima Brown blew away any last vestige of her credibility and impartiality. Her ranting on about why the DA party agents didn’t stop people voting twice exposed her total lack of knowledge about the voting system. Voting agents don’t have scanning machines, don’t inspect voters fingers nor do they check voter against the voters roll. They observe. There is no question about whose responsibility it is to ensure a fair election that is beyond reproach. It’s the responsibility of the IEC.”

Though some thought Selfe’s silence was due to him not having answers to the questions that were posed, Phumzile van Damme said his silence was loud enough for her to understand what he was saying.

“Oh trust me, while Selfe is politely listening to Karima Brown’s oddly angry monologue, he is responding. I know him well and I know what he is thinking and means when he pushes up his glasses up and frowns at vitriol. Shout-out for keeping your cool Selefi,” said Zille.

EFF supporters were left amused by the interview and comments from the DA leaders, saying they proved Julius Malema right.

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