Zille says she ‘did absolutely nothing’ to Credo Mutwa

A YouTube video posted by a user named Sandile Mshengu in July 2019 and recently shared to Twitter by journalist Pinky Khoabane has placed the spotlight firmly back on former leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) Helen Zille.

Helen Zille lied about Credo Mutwa in Rand Daily Mail saying he said "The army should be called into Soweto to quell the unrest". In Sept 1976, his home was attacked, his wife raped, children beaten & injured. He was stoned & petrol poured over himhttps://t.co/y6N1nWuMgY

— Pinky Khoabane (@pinkykhoabane) August 2, 2019

This is because, for years, there have been calls for her to apologise to Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa – a well-known sangoma, author, and sculptor – who claims Zille misquoted him in an apartheid-era Rand Daily Mail article on the Cillie Commission of Inquiry into the 1976 Soweto Uprising.

In the eight-minute clip shared by Mshengu, Mutwa recalls the aforementioned incident with Zille and the events he believed her misquote led to.

According to Mutwa, he was called to testify in his capacity as a municipal supervisor in one of the areas involved in the uprising as a government installation in the area had been demolished in the unrest.

Because anyone who is assumed to be working with the apartheid government by cooperating with the inquiry faces a possible threat of violence, the inquiry’s presiding judge, Judge Cille, declared at the time that the proceedings would take place in-camera and the names of the witnesses would not be published.

“But when the inquiry was on, I noticed reporters at the inquiry in a place where they were not supposed to be. If the inquiry was to be held in-camera, why then were there reporters there?” asked Mutwa during his interview.

“Amongst the reporters was a white woman, Helen Zille… Now, I spoke to the judge answering his questions and then I said to the judge ‘protection for workers in Soweto is completely inadequate. Innocent workers are sometimes beaten up and even killed by the rioting youths. Can’t more protection be supplied to those of our people who are willing to work?’ And this white woman went on to write in the Rand Daily Mail Newspaper that I had said that the army should be called into Soweto to quell the unrest,” explained Mutwa.

He went on to accuse Zille of defying the orders of the judge and breaking the law with impunity by only reporting on his comments despite the things the other witnesses said as well as publishing his name.

Mutwa went on to share the story of how his family was attacked in their Soweto home after Zille’s article was published.

“After that, my home was attacked by 500 or more school children. It happened in September 1976. My wife was raped. My children were beaten and injured, how they managed to escape I don’t know. I was stabbed and stoned many times and when I was lying on the ground completely helpless, petrol was thrown over me,“ recalled Mutwa.

He added: “And that was when I knew fear because we African people believe that if you are burned to death, not only is your body consumed by the flames, but your soul is destroyed as well.”

He said he didn’t exactly recall how he escaped death but he believed that something frightened his attackers because they ran away before they could finish their plan.

Mutwa told the story of how he managed to crawl to a shack nearby for refuge and was saved by an unidentified man who drove away someone else who had shown up with a gun. Mutwa believes he was there to “finish him off.”

His saviour then dragged his injured body to the hut of a sangoma, who hid him under her bed until police were able to pick him up.

“I was covered with wounds and a broken knife was lodged in my body and somebody had tried to cut off these two fingers,” said Mutwa, pointing at the index finger and thumb on his right hand.

“After that, we hid in the backyard of a police station and after that my immediate superior, a white gentleman who is a horticulturist, smuggled me out of Soweto with my family and took me to Natal where I stayed for over a year recovering from my injuries,” added Mutwa.

Zille has repeatedly been asked about this on Twitter since as early as 2011 and most times the questions from random Twitter users have gone unnoticed and unanswered.

Dear @helenzille in da 70's,as a young journalist,u wrote a sensationalised article slanderin Credo Mutwa's rep. Y did u lie? #AskHelenZille

— SoniQ (@SoniqOnline) October 24, 2011

So the New Age is a sponsor of @helenzille and her DA croonies? After what she did to Credo Mutwa in 1975 I will never, ever vote for her.

— Ramon J. Thomas 高富帅 (@RamonJThomasMBA) February 2, 2012

@SeabeloSeleke is it true that @helenzille was behind the reporting that got Ntate Credo Mutwa + fam attacked back then? In Soweto I think!

— Jacqui The Poet (@JacquiThePoet) August 28, 2012

https://twitter.com/chiefntshingila/status/245775405301256192?s=20

@QuazRoodt: Hey @helenzille why does your bio not say "I almost got Credo Mutwa killed with my lies" ?

Read more

Cancel culture 101: Navigating the business of social media

— mutle (@mutle_mothibe) January 29, 2013

I'll never forget this woman –> @helenzille for all the grief Credo Mutwa is going through now

— Benni Makati (@Vuyi_X) July 16, 2015

Her first documented Twitter response to questions about Mutwa’s claims comes after a recent SAFM interview regarding her latest appointment at the Institute of Race Relations (IRR).

Zille tweeted: “Thank you @SongezoMabece and @SAfmradio for a follow-up interview last night. The line stayed connected, I was asked tough questions (which are always welcome) and I was given a chance to answer them. Much better.”

To which another Twitter user responded: “Stating that you’re always up for questions, what motivated your interaction with Credo Mutwa?”

“I do not recall having a personal interaction with Credo Mutwa. All I recall was covering his evidence during hearings in the late 1970s. If I am not mistaken, it was the Cillie commission of inquiry into the Soweto uprising. Can’t recall having spoken to him.” tweeted Zille.

I do not recall having a personal interaction with Credo Mutwa. All I recall was covering his evidence during hearings in the late 1970s. If I am not mistaken it was the Cillie Commission of Inquiry into the Soweto uprising. Can't recall having spoken to him.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) August 4, 2019

She has since been responding to the recent barrage of tweets regarding the matter, rubbishing Mutwa’s claims that proceedings at the inquiry were to be held in-camera and that she only reported on his testimony.

Irresponsible journalism is nothing new. In 1976, Hellen Zille wrote a story about Sanusi Credo Mutwa which was completely false inciting black on black violence.@HellenZille did you ever apologize to Sanusi?
@pietrampedi @LandNoli @petermoyo6

— Tsar GqaKhweRov 🇷🇺 (@gqakhwe) August 5, 2019

“I reported what he said to a commission of [inquiry]. It is far-fetched in the extreme to accuse any journalist reporting on testimony at a commission of causing someone else to be raped. Who is digging up this kind of bull?” tweeted Zille.

I reported what he said to a Commission of Enquiry. It is far fetched in the extreme to accuse any journalist reporting on testimony at a Commission of causing someone else to be raped. Who is digging up this kind of bull?

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) August 5, 2019

Lol, the crime of reporting what he said in an open Inquiry? Really? Then every journalist should be charged.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) August 5, 2019

What you did is criminal.
Helen Zille should be charged for her crimes against Credo Mutwa and his family.
An apology just won't cut it.

— REAL DEMOCRACY (@SVNaidoo) August 5, 2019

You are a joke. It was an open inquiry, not in camera. I reported every witness. Go and look at the record of the inquiry and see who is telling the truth. I rest my case.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) August 6, 2019

I did absolutely nothing to him. I reported on the Cillie Commission of Inquiry, which was an open commission attended by all journalists and I reported honestly on what every witness said. Simple. Go back to the record of the Inquiry and my reports if you have any doubt.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) August 6, 2019

Zille once again used a common phrase that she seems to have become fond of and claims that “offence archaeologists” are digging up anything they can find on her to “generate fake outrage.”

And anyway, that was more than 40 years ago. The "offence archaeologists" have really been busy digging up anything on me they can find that has the remotest chance of being able to generate fake outrage. Shem.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) August 6, 2019

She also does not believe that her article led to the September 1976 attack at Mutwa’s home as he claimed it did.

It wasn't my article that led to anything. I reported what he said. It is the basic intolerance, and recourse to violence that is the problem, not open discourse and a free press.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) August 6, 2019

After multiple attempts to contact Zille for her side of the story, The Citizen was unable to obtain comment from Zille as our calls and messages went unanswered.

Watch Credo retell the story of his attack below:

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.