Helen Zille to sue Joburg speaker Makhubele for defamation

Democratic Alliance (DA) federal chair Helen Zille is suing newly elected Johannesburg Council speaker Colleen Makhubele for defamation.

Zille told eNCA Makhubele’s claims went too far when she accused her of trying to get her hands on the City of Johannesburg’s R70 billion budget.

Zille controlling

According to a report in The Star, Makhubele said she was sick and tired of Zille’s controlling tactics within the municipal council, describing her as an “arrogant bull”.

“This was another stunt from Cape Town to try and run the City of Johannesburg from there. What she did was unlawful and unethical. She is an arrogant bull from Cape Town that thinks that she is bigger than other bulls in the kraal,” Makhubele said.

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Zille said while politicians should have much thicker skins, Makhubele went too far.

“Courts don’t easily grant defamation claims for politicians, but when my husband was sitting in bed in the morning and reading that Julius Malema was saying that I promoted certain people because I was sleeping with them, that was a bit too far for me, so I sued him and I won.”

Makhubele went too far

“Colleen Makhubele said among other things, that my real aim was to get my hands on Johannesburg’s R70 billion budget… That is also a bit too far for me,” Zille said.

Zille said she “must be the most non-racial person” she knows.

“I’m non-racial because I treat everybody the same.”

Zille rants

Last week, Zille ranted about the party’s coalition flop in the City of Johannesburg and the ousting of former mayor Mpho Phalatse.

In a series of tweets posted on Friday morning, Zille – who also calls herself GodZille and GogoZille said, “There have been so many untruths told during the past week about what caused the break-up of our coalition in Johannesburg, that the facts have barely surfaced”.

Phalatse was removed from office in the City of Johannesburg via a motion of no confidence last week. She was replaced by the African National Congress’ (ANC) Johannesburg regional chair, Dada Morero.

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