Zille and Holomisa in Twitter spat over ‘tiny parties’

Twitter is never dull when DA federal council chair Helen Zille is active.

Late on Tuesday night, Zille was involved in yet another twar when she responded to a tweet from United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa.

Holomisa had earlier replied to Zille, after she took aim at voters who had split the opposition vote rather than voting for her party

“Your message to voters not to vote for small parties has failed dismally. The ‘tiny parties’ seem to be wielding power against the so-called big parties,” Holomisa tweeted.

Never one to back down from a fight on social media, Zille responded with venom.

“The truth is that your tiny party, with its single seat in Nelson Mandela Bay [NMB], gave that city back to the ANC by your one vote. NMB won’t survive another five years of ANC rule,” she tweeted.

She ended her tweet with: “History will remember you as ‘that person’. Nice legacy.”

On Monday, the ANC took charge of the Nelson Mandela Bay metro by forming a coalition with smaller parties. The ANC’s Eugene Johnson beat the DA’s mayoral candidate Nqaba Bhanga by one vote.

ALSO READ: ANC’s Eugene Johnson elected Nelson Mandela Bay’s new mayor

Zille seemed to suggest that the UDM was responsible.

Holomisa was up for the fight though. He told Zille that history will remember her as the person “who messed up the careers of bright black children like [Lindiwe] Mazibuko, [Mmusi] Maimane and others”.

Mazibuko and Maimane both held prominent positions in the DA, but were tossed aside by the official opposition.

Despite losing Nelson Mandela Bay to the ANC, the DA has gained control of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane, largely due to the support of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and ActionSA. The party also looks set to take over in eThekwini when the council reconvenes to elect a mayor on Wednesday.

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