Helen Zille reiterates that life in Langa ‘is better compared to other townships’

Democratic Alliance (DA) federal council chairperson Helen Zille on Sunday reiterated her statement made during a radio interview that poor people living in the Western Cape’s Langa township were faring much better than those living in other townships across the country.

Zille sent a series of tweets reacting to users who criticised yet another controversial statement from her.

She first boasted about life in Langa in a 45-minute interview with 702 last week, saying she lives in a suburb she calls “Upper Langa,” adding that she personally established DA branches in Langa years ago.

Speaking to presenter Clement Manyathela, the former Western Cape premier said poor people in Langa lived a much improved and better life compared to others living across the eight other provinces.

She tackled the “hoary old allegation that the DA is good at delivering services to the suburbs, but does not do the same in the townships” on her Twitter account on Sunday.

“The other provinces do get to see the implications of a failed state with the constant breakdown of infrastructure, roads that are so potholed that you can’t drive on them and the failed state is hitting them in the face.”

She fired a series of tweets on the radio interview, saying Manyathela’s question was based on “fundamental misperceptions.”

“The first is what government should deliver. It is not the government’s job to deliver suburban houses, garages, cars and the additional services (e.g., armed-response security) that people pay for themselves (besides their taxes).”

ALSO READ: SCA upholds Zille’s appeal against Mkhwebane’s report on colonialism tweets

‘Western Cape does it better’

Zille said working public services and a stable policy environment were essential in attracting investment and enable economic growth.

“The evidence shows the Western Cape does this better than any other province. For all these reasons, many people come to the Western Cape in search of better opportunities, not only from across the country, but beyond our borders as well. 

“Our unemployment rate, on the expanded definition, is significantly lower than the rest of the country.”

Zille said most people living in Langa qualify for subsidised services. 

“Langa is also well supplied with schools, clinics, a police station, halls, recreational facilities and so on. It is 100 times better than many, and 1000 times better than those without services at all.”

She added that people should stop the “childish game of manufacturing outrage when inconvenient truths are spoken.”

“The outrage manufacturers,” she said, were those who wanted to “infantilise black people” and keep them trapped in permanent victimhood, unable to use opportunities to improve their lives.

The former Western Cape premier has not been short of controversy when it comes to social media, especially Twitter.

In March 2017, she tweeted what she called the “positives of colonialism,” causing widespread condemnation, including from members of her party.

ALSO READ: Dear Helen Zille, you know nothing about poverty, so check yourself