READ: ANC’s statement on Zille’s colonialism comments

The statement reads:

ANC Western Cape calls on the Democratic Alliance to recall Helen Zille for her reckless and ignorant claims that the legacy of colonialism was only negative‚ but insisted that there were positive effects as well.

Helen Zille’s version of history and her place in it has always been circumspect because it has never corresponded to what we know of her.

Zille lived in a white enclave which gives her the confidence to remake the world from the whole cloth and this will prove to be her most lasting matrimony.

While in recent years there has been some self-acknowledgement that ignorance of black history and black people is no excuse to make loose and reckless statements‚ realising black history and its monumental contrition has been a hard pill to swallow for most white illiberal like Zille.

The truth is that Zille‚ like most of white South Africa pre-1994‚ never really gave black people much thought.

Contacts with black people were kept at a minimum; When black people appear at all in Zille memories‚ it seems our images are fleeting‚ we appeared only as hired hands. Black people taking on white people’s laundry or cleaning up their homes. Black people were there but not there.

We seemed to be a silent presence that neither elicited passion nor fear.

This inability to reconcile the country’s comprehensive history has over the last while driven Helen Zille to a mental breakdown and this breakdown has been coming slowly without the violence that might help her reawaken.

Helen Zille has continued to defend every racist that has captured the country and we call on the Democratic Alliance to act decisively‚ particularly Mmusi Maimane‚ who up to this far has not shown an appetite to take on the white establishment.

ALSO READ:

//

For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.