Maimane says there are no sacred cows in the DA

DA Leader Mmusi Maimane on Monday reiterated his stance on his predecessor’s controversial views about the legacy colonialism, saying there were no sacred cows in his party when it comes to the rule of law.

Addressing supporters in Woodlands‚ Pietermaritzburg, during his #Change19, Maimane said he was offended by Western Cape Premier Helen Zille’s tweets suggesting that colonialism wasn’t all bad. He said the party’s federal legal commission (FLC) will charge anyone who’s statements are inconsistent with the vision of the DA.

Last Wednesday Zille caused a public uproar when she took to Twitter to praise colonialism in a series of tweets that were sharply condemned by users of the social networking site and society at large.

“For those claiming legacy of colonialism was ONLY negative‚ think of our independent judiciary‚ transport infrastructure‚ piped water etc‚” Zille tweeted.

“Would we have had a transition into specialised health care and medication without colonial influence? Just be honest‚ please‚” she said in a second tweet.

Maimane refused to be drawn into the contentious colonial tweets which have seen him under pressure to strongly act against Zille, as calls grow for her to be axed as the first citizen of the Western Cape.

He said he had reported the former DA leader to the FLC for disciplinary action, saying his party wants to focus on building a pact between South Africans of all races who were divided by the country’s apartheid past.

“… Any view that seeks to undermine that pact is a view that is inconsistent with what the DA stands for. That’s why I have a taken deliberate action to say the words of Premier Helen Zille are inconsistent with our party. I have referred her to the disciplinary hearing so that we can get to the fact that it undermines that particular project.

“I do not support the views. I do not share the views and we will continue to fight for a South Africa for all‚ a South Africa where all races can stand together going forward,” Maimane said.

A defiant Zille on Monday went on the offensive in an opinion piece published by the Daily Maverick, and blamed the outrage against her tweet on the fact that she’s white.

“While travel broadens the mind, I tend to forget that, on returning to South Africa, it is best to shrink your mind again to fit the contours of political correctness. Especially if you are white.

“We pay lip service to equal citizenship. In reality, every opinion is judged on the basis of the colour of the person who expresses it. ‘Speaking while white’ is considered the ultimate sin, in terms of the increasingly popular ideology called ‘critical race theory’,” Zille wrote.

Maimane said the DA had taken a stance to allow the federal legal commission to do its job regarding Zille’s tweets, saying he will not proclaim what sanctions it should take on the matter.

He was speaking in Woodlands for a by-election campaign. The party is contesting for Ward 32 in Msunduzi next week Wednesday following a defection to the ANC by its councillor, Clive Lotz, who had won the ward for the DA.

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