Latest news with #HelenZille
Economist
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Economist
Helen Zille wants to save South Africa, starting in Johannesburg
H elen Zille has had a long career as a journalist, anti-apartheid campaigner and politician. She is a grandmother living in Cape Town, the city she ran as mayor from 2006 to 2009. But instead of enjoying her retirement in the Cape, as many inland South Africans like to do, the 74-year-old wants to move the other way. She plans to run for mayor of Johannesburg, the country's commercial capital, next year.
Eyewitness News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
DA's Zille says working with ANC in GNU a culture shock
JOHANNESBURG - After a year of working with the African National Congress (ANC) in a national coalition, the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s federal council chairperson, Helen Zille, said it's been a culture shock. This week, following threats not to support some departments during Parliament's budget votes, the DA voted in favour of the Appropriations Bill. ALSO READ: Politricking | DA will walk away 'only when it's the least bad option', says Helen Zille The bill was the last hurdle the Government of National Unity (GNU) needed to pass in order to get the 2025/2026 proposed budget passed. A series of spats between the ANC and DA, most recently around the budget, have characterised the year-long multiparty coalition. Zille, speaking on EWN's Politricking with Tshidi Madia , said the ANC has held up its end of the bargain throughout the national partnership 'Where we were naive is that we expect certain elements to be taken for granted in relationships. We believe that people give their word, then stick to their word. We believe that people sign a document, then they fulfil their obligation under that document. We believe that people we agree on certain mechanisms of meetings and others and people will bring their part responsibly and with commit to the process.' The DA federal council chairperson said, despite frustrations with the ANC, the DA will remain in the GNU for the foreseeable future. Zille, using the recent firing of Dr Nobuhle Nkabane as Minister of Higher Education to make a point, the DA is constantly weighing its options when it comes to the continued participation in the GNU. 'There are always 6 or 7 options - you can do nothing, walk away, and everything in between. We decided it wasn't something we should bring the government down necessarily, we should say to the president, 'Okay, we are not going to participate in the National Dialogue because you can't have a dialogue with us, number 1; Number 2, we will not vote for [Thembi] Simelani or Nkabane's budgets.' It's very simple.'
IOL News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
EFF rejects Appropriation Bill, accuses Helen Zille of weaponising budget to fight GNU squabbles
DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Omphile Maotwe says the red berets would not support the 2025 and 2026 Appropriation Bill, accusing Democratic Alliance (DA) federal chairperson Helen Zille of using the national budget as a political weapon within the Government of National Unity. 'The EFF rejects the proposed appropriation bill tabled by the minister of finance,' Maotwe said during a sitting at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Wednesday. 'We have participated in many plenary debates and made concrete and substantive submissions of practical amendments that are going to give us the people's budget.' The sitting included consideration of the Standing Committee on Appropriations' report on the bill, a debate, votes on departmental budgets, and the second reading of the bill - the final vote required to pass the national budget. Maotwe said the EFF had submitted proposals across all departmental votes, from the presidency to the final vote, and stressed that they reflected the lived experiences of communities across the country. 'We did not come here to play internal coalition games,' she said. 'We came here to make sure the voices of communities from Giyani to Atlantis, from Lusikisiki to Khuma are heard in this house.' She pointed out service delivery failures, such as missing funds for a promised bridge in Diepsloot, ongoing water issues in Jozini, and a lack of disaster relief following floods in Mthatha. 'Our people in Marikana, Taung, Kwandebele, Mamelodi, and Thohoyandou continue to tell us that the budget before the House will not increase government spending, will not eradicate pit toilets, cannot hire more doctors, nurses, teachers, will not grow the economy, and will make them even poorer,' Maotwe said. She accused Zille of treating the budget as a tool to manage internal power struggles within the GNU, rather than as a mechanism for transformation. 'For the supervisors in the government on neoliberal unity, led by the chief supervisor Ms. Helen Zille, the budget is the tool to fight political squabbles,' Maotwe said. 'It is not a tool for transformation, redistribution, or to fight unemployment, poverty, and inequality. It is a compromise budget negotiated in smoke-filled bedrooms to keep a sinking coalition afloat.' Maotwe criticised those within the GNU, especially the DA - now supporting the same budget they had opposed in previous years. 'Principles have been sold for posts and blue lights. Economic logic has been sacrificed on the altar of convenience,' she said. Maotwe said while the party is rejecting the bill, they made several constructive suggestions to amend it within the existing fiscal framework. According to her, these included increasing the health budget to employ 9,000 unemployed doctors, boosting the education budget to eliminate pit toilets and teacher shortages, and allocating more funds to Statistics South Africa and the South African Revenue Service. 'Why are we not doing that? Why are we not closing the tax gap? Why are we not strengthening the state?' she asked. She added, 'We did not turn this budget into a political football. We engaged in a principled manner - and for that, we reject the 2025 Appropriation Bill.' The DA has said it will vote in favor of the bill following the dismissal of Higher Education Minister Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane. The DA had threatened to block the bill unless President Cyril Ramaphosa acted on allegations that Nkabane misled Parliament about appointments to Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) boards. Ramaphosa fired Nkabane this week and appointed Buti Manamela, one of her deputies, as minister of higher education and training. Former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Dr. Nomusa Dube-Ncube was named deputy minister. The DA said Ramaphosa acted under pressure from the party to ensure passage of the bill, which allocates funding to national departments. The Appropriation Bill requires a simple majority, which is 201 out of 400 votes, to pass in the National Assembly. The African National Congress (ANC) holds 159 seats, the DA 87, the MK Party 58, and the EFF 39. Both the EFF and MK have announced they will oppose the bill. [email protected] IOL Politics
The South African
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Prince Mashele endorses Helen Zille for mayor of Johannesburg
Political analyst and author Prince Mashele has publicly declared his support for Helen Zille, should the former Western Cape Premier decide to run as mayor of Johannesburg in the 2026 local government elections. This comes after reports last month that Zille, who currently serves as the Democratic Alliance's (DA) federal council chairperson, was considering running for the mayoral post, following multiple requests to enter the race. In an interview with Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh on the SMWX podcast, Mashele surprised many by stating that he would endorse Zille – despite not being a DA supporter – because of Johannesburg's current state under ANC leadership. 'If Helen Zille wins the contest to become the mayoral candidate of Johannesburg, I am going to do something I have never done in my life. I am going to publicly endorse her,' said Mashele. 'With a heavy heart. The way the ANC has destroyed Johannesburg… Johannesburg used to be the pride of Africa.' Mashele was critical of former ANC mayor Parks Tau, now Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, saying Tau contributed to the city's urban decay. 'Helen Zille has a proven track record. She ran Cape Town as mayor, she did not destroy it. She ran the Western Cape as premier, she did not destroy it,' he said, pointing to Cape Town's thriving tourism and well-maintained infrastructure. Mashele's scathing remarks extended to current Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero, describing his tenure as marked by basic service delivery failures, including water outages in Sandton, a crumbling inner city, and growing urban neglect. 'How can you go without water in Sandton? The richest square mile in Africa without water. It can only happen under an incompetent called Dada Morero,' he said. Despite mounting criticism, Morero has defended his administration, citing ongoing interventions since 2016 and the recent establishment of crisis response teams. 'We have now been given an opportunity to address those challenges, and we need time to do so,' Morero said in March at the opening of the Naledi Clinic in Presidency has also stepped in, with President Cyril Ramaphosa announcing the deployment of the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group (PJWG) to help the metro recover from what many are calling a crisis of governance. While Zille has not confirmed her candidacy, she said in June that she was consulting with her family after being approached to run. 'I have been approached to put my hat in the ring for mayor. I am still considering it,' she said. Her potential return to executive office has ignited debate across political circles, especially in light of Johannesburg's severe decline under ANC leadership and the DA's ongoing internal contestation for 2026 candidates. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
How the DA's Lobbying Agenda Undermines South African Sovereignty
DA Federal chairperson Helen Zille addressing recent media briefing. Zille's recent assertion that the DA is the final bulwark against 'illiberalism' and 'Marxist economics' is strategic messaging for Western ears, says the writer. Clyde N.S. Ramalaine Structural inequalities, racialised identities, and a legacy of economic exclusion have long shaped South Africa's domestic politics. Yet a more insidious trend has emerged in the post-2024 electoral landscape: the outsourcing of political grievances to global arenas. Central to this is a strategic lobbying offensive by political and civil formations, particularly the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Freedom Front Plus (FF+), instrumentalising Western institutions, especially in the United States, for narrow domestic interests. This is not diplomacy; it is neo-imperial leverage by proxy, where white-interest elites outsource influence to stall transformation and entrench the socio-economic status quo. In recent months, South African politics has increasingly aligned with U.S. foreign policy priorities. FF+ leader Corné Mulder led a delegation to Washington, lobbying members of Congress with demands including the prioritisation of '[white] farm murders,' rejection of land expropriation without compensation, and exemption from B-BBEE compliance for over 600 American companies. Cloaked in human rights language, these interventions aim to realign U.S.–South Africa relations in favour of white-minority interests. Though the DA distances itself from explicitly race-based entities like AfriForum and Solidarity, its policy goals mirror theirs, protecting white privilege and preserving the economic legacy of apartheid. Its defence of private property, opposition to land reform, and resistance to empowerment stem from a shared imperative: to protect white-held capital, land, and influence. These actors are not formally allied, but are ideologically united by a commitment to protect white privilege, resist economic justice and shape national discourse via global platforms. To the DA, defending 'the economy' equates to defending inherited privilege; to the ANC, reform is a political survival mechanism. Neither approach centres the lived experience of the majority. These lobbying campaigns are not neutral. They are part of a broader ideological project portraying South Africa as governed by racial populists and economic incompetents. This narrative implies the country was better governed under apartheid, legitimising that regime through veiled nostalgia. Although the DA projects a liberal image, it more accurately represents a conservative agenda. Helen Zille's recent assertion that the DA is the final bulwark against 'illiberalism' and 'Marxist economics' is strategic messaging for Western ears. It recycles colonial tropes of African misrule while promoting white-led liberalism as synonymous with stability. Disguised as policy advocacy, this is calculated image manipulation, and it's working. This convergence of domestic white interest with Western power was evident during the 2023 'Lady R' scandal, when a Russian vessel allegedly loaded arms in Simon's Town. Amid rising U.S.–South Africa tensions, the DA lobbied Washington against the ANC. Rather than defending sovereignty or calling for clarity, it invoked AGOA to suggest trade benefits should be tied to U.S. alignment. This effort to weaponise foreign pressure for domestic advantage risked economic exclusion. Such manoeuvres are not new. During apartheid, the West selectively intervened when it suited Cold War priorities. Today, the pattern persists: conservative elites appealing to Western power to safeguard class interests. Brazil's post-Workers' Party elites did so by invoking anti-corruption rhetoric. Kenyan donor influence has long blocked land reform. In postcolonial contexts, elite actors recast the West not as democratic champions, but as tools of privilege. The real danger lies in how these narratives shape foreign policy. Elevating 'farm murders' while ignoring broader rural violence politicises crime to privilege white victimhood. Attacks on B-BBEE, framed as economic rationalism, erase the constitutional imperative of redress and portray historically advantaged groups as present-day victims. This moral inversion lies at the heart of a foreign policy subverted by internal lobbying. The result: distorted global perception and stalled domestic reform. This is not political chess; it is coercive diplomacy. The DA and its allies portray themselves as moderates and business-friendly stabilisers in a state they frame as erratic. They assure Washington that their presence in government is the safeguard against punitive U.S. action, even as they threaten to trigger it. They act as both shield and saboteur, depending on convenience. The DA's 21.81% share of the 2024 vote is often misrepresented as evidence of national trust or a mandate. In reality, it reflects a racially consolidated vote among white South Africans. It is not a broad consensus but a minority bloc seeking to preserve its interest and influence in a changing society. To present this as the definitive voice of democracy is misleading. It is a vote for preservation, not transformation. Emboldened by this foothold, the DA has adopted a posture of entitled defiance. In a political climate shaped by President Cyril Ramaphosa's weakness, the notion has emerged that South Africa can only be governed effectively through DA inclusion. Meanwhile, the MKP (14.58%) and EFF (9.52%) are conveniently framed, synonymous with erstwhile swartgevaar tactics, as destabilising threats. Ramaphosa's attempt to host Donald Trump at the G20 Summit is a desperate bid to restore credibility. But this aspiration is hostage to the DA, which holds the real 'Trump card', control over South Africa's international narrative. A shift in their tone could instantly portray Ramaphosa as unfit for global partnership. This is no longer mere opposition politicking. It is the institutionalisation of parallel diplomacy, driven by race-based interest, elite self-preservation, and resistance to redress. The DA and its affiliates are not lobbying on behalf of South Africa, but rewriting its image to cast black governance as inherently unstable and white conservatism as order. They offer the West not just policy influence, but an ideological stake in our future. This is not diplomacy; it is the outsourcing of sovereignty. The implications are dire. Through narratives of ANC misrule and economic irrationality, the DA facilitates foreign intervention that aligns with its domestic agenda. This reframes internal debates in language palatable to Western actors, distorts global perceptions, and subordinates democratic transformation to foreign approval. Sovereignty is not only lost through military conquest. It is surrendered through silence, backroom trade-offs, and press releases that dress betrayal as moderation. What passes as diplomacy may be the dismantling of South Africa's democratic project, brokered by those who claim to defend it. If we are to safeguard South Africa, the real contest lies not only in electoral outcomes but in who gets to shape the global discourse. The future of South Africa must not be determined in foreign capitals. It must be owned, fought for, and narrated from within. * Clyde N.S. Ramalaine is a theologian, political analyst, lifelong social and economic justice activist, published author, poet, and freelance writer. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
