Full-blown twar rages over PP Mkhwebane’s findings on Zille and son

The Citizen reported on Thursday that reactions to the finding by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane that Cape Town premier Helen Zille had violated the Executive Members Act have differed starkly.

Mkhwebane found that Zille’s assisting her son to loan tablets from the province’s education department so he could offer extra maths lessons to disadvantaged matric pupils “created an appearance of impropriety.”

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga defended Zille, saying she feared the ruling would discourage politicians from doing community work and that the ruling “cannot be fair”.

Former Cope deputy president and Gauteng premiere Mbhazima Shilowa, meanwhile, told Motshekga she was “missing the point”, and education expert Professor Jonathan Jansen said Zille should have publicly declared her involvement in assisting her song.

On Twitter, where political divisions often play out in the most confrontational and least collegiate manner, a full-blown twar has since erupted between those defending Zille and those condemning her.

There does not seem to be much middle ground when it comes to the issue.

In this one tweet Helen Zille reveals how much of a liar she is.
How much of an unethical character she is.

She is a devious politician and this tweet exposes that more than most would.

We all know Angie is incompetent, dishonest, corrupt and definitely far from honorable https://t.co/bGfC5YmLMZ

— Africa Research Desk (@MightiJamie) December 21, 2018

Hellen Zille's corruption. pic.twitter.com/IL61suNT2q

— Sir Cabonena Alfred (@Lebona_cabonena) December 21, 2018

There was no contract, there was no financial gain. The DG was consulted and confirmed it was all above board. Zuma's son is now a millionaire due to the Gupta's and sides and supports BLF, Zille's son dedicates his time and passion for helping the previously disadvantaged. https://t.co/ErGoLDmDsp

— Ngamla Gouws 🇿🇦 (@RenaldoGouws) December 21, 2018

Ok, let me explain this simply. My criticism of Helen Zille's violation of the ethics code does not mean her son should NOT have volunteered. It does NOT mean his intentions were malicious. It means he should have amassed resources outside of Zille's government & influence.

— Robyn Porteous (@RobynPorteous) December 21, 2018

Former Business Day editor and Absa spokesperson Songezo Zibi, meanwhile, feels that having read all of Mkhwebane’s recently-released reports, including the one on Zille but also the ones pertaining to ANC head of elections Fikile Mbalula and Treasury Director-General Dondo Mogajane, the setting aside of their findings is “inevitable”.

I’ve now read the Mbalula, Mogajane and Zille reports of the Public Protector. I think High Court review applications (plural), to have them set aside, are inevitable.

— Songezo Zibi (@SongezoZibi) December 22, 2018

Mkhwebane released her most recent batch of reports at a press briefing at her offices in Hatfield, Pretoria on 19 December 2018.

She found that Western Cape Premier and former DA leader Zille was guilty of a “conflict of interest” after her son, Paul Maree, loaned state tablets to conduct extra maths lessons to pupils at disadvantaged schools in the Western Cape in 2014, for which he was not paid.

The tablets were returned to the department afterwards.

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