Phumzile van Damme during the Democratic Alliance (DA) manifesto launch at the Rand Stadium on 23 February 2019 in Johannesburg. Picture: Gallo Images
In an unexpected turn of events, award-winning counter disinformation strategist Phumzile van Damme has slammed Democratic Alliance (DA) federal council chair Helen Zille for tweeting ‘falsehoods’ about her exit from the party.
This after Zille took to social media on Wednesday evening, slamming Van Damme for calling out party leader John Steenhuisen for his comment on EFF leader Julius Malema’s “Kill the Boer” chant.
“The DA condemns Malema’s calls to ‘Shoot to kill’ and ‘Kill the Boer’. I declared the EFF political enemy number one of the DA at our Congress precisely because this demagogue will plunge SA into anarchy if he ever gets power. Help us stop Malema by registering to vote DA today,” commented Steenhuisen.
ALSO READ: Ex-DA MP Phumzile Van Damme calls out party for ‘pandering’ to anti-vaxxers
In response, Van Damme tweeted: “This man knows the EFF will never get into power. This man knows there are white ‘swart gevaar’ [black danger] fears of the EFF. This man is manipulating these fears using racial polarisation to galvanise the white vote. This man is politically and morally bankrupt and bereft of ideas.
“The EFF also polarises but that has been its brand since day one. That’s what it does. But the DA? The DA needs to be far more responsible and must be called out when it appeals to base animalistic human emotion instead of principle and good old emotional intelligence.”
But Zille said this is exactly why the DA “parted company” with Van Damme, a comment the former party MP did not take kindly.
Calling Zille a “liar”, Van Damme said she was the one who parted ways with the DA, not the other way round, as claimed by Zille.
“Please can I not be forced to pull up screenshots. I hate being lied about,” she said.
“That’s the first thing. You wanted to meet with me after to understand because you were so shocked I resigned.
ALSO READ: Phumzile Van Damme ‘terminates’ her DA membership
“You don’t want this. And this time you won’t be able to call me to apologise or beg me not to criticise the DA. Keep my name out your mouth, lips. Continue going back to ignore me. It’s for the best. I am simply not worth it.”
Whether Zille took Van Damme’s advice remains to be seen, but she had not responded to her former colleague at the time of publishing.
Van Damme announced her resignation as an MP for the official opposition in May 2021, and said she was quitting due to her unhappiness with a “clique of individuals”.
“I leave on my own terms, having made my own decision,” she said at the time.
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