Phumzile Van Damme vows to deconstruct ‘tea girl’ insult

DA MP and shadow minister of communications Phumzile Van Damme has vowed to fight the ‘tea girl’ insult after a Twitter user used it against her once again.

Twitter user @LuRaWenu used the insult on Van Damme in response to a photo of her reliving her days as a waitress while on the campaign trail.

Van Damme spent the afternoon at the restaurant she worked at 18 years ago as a student in need of money for “necessities”.

She donned her uniform once again and served a few of the patrons of the restaurant.

Taking to Twitter to brag about her skills, Van Damme made a remark about how she has “still got it” alongside an image of her carrying a tray with teacups on it.

Twitter user @LuRaWenu commented: “So I was right. You are a tea girl.”

Van Damme explained how the insult dehumanises those in the service industry before sharing her own personal motivation for wanting to end the stereotype.

This is not the first time this insult has been hurled at a DA politician.

EFF leader Julius Malema once called the DA’s Lindiwe Mazibuko “the madam’s tea girl” when he refused to engage in a debate with her during her time as a parliamentarian back in 2011.

He was subsequently called out on his hypocrisy due to the demographic the EFF appealed to as well as the apparel they chose to wear to parliament.

ALSO READ: ANC hiring of ‘teagirl’ sparks protest in Uitenhage

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