The writer says Helen Zille’s tactics have remained the same; using fear, divide, and rule to secure power, privileging a select few while ignoring the poorest, most vulnerable, and the broader needs of South Africans, and showing a vindictive approach to governance when challenged. Picture: Supplied
By Faiez Jacobs
AS an ANC member and someone deeply invested in the future of South Africa, it’s time we take a hard look at the politics of Helen Zille—politics that have consistently relied on bullying, fear, privilege, and hypocrisy, dating back to her rise in 2006 as mayor of Cape Town.
Since then, Zille’s tactics have remained the same; using fear, divide, and rule to secure power, privileging a select few while ignoring the poorest, most vulnerable, and the broader needs of South Africans, and showing a vindictive approach to governance when challenged.
We have even lost count of how many blacks suffer under her tyrannical rule in the DA.
Zille’s promise of “payback” following the Tshwane mayoral vote is no surprise to anyone familiar with her brand of leadership. Sheer arrogance with a healthy dose of desperation for her latest blue eyed Afrikaner boy.
This is the same Zille who, in 2006, cobbled together a coalition in Cape Town through fearmongering and division, despite the ANC being the largest political party in that election.
She has, since then, repeatedly used her position to assert control, often wielding her influence not for the people but for a narrow group of supporters.
Her pattern is clear; if you don’t align with her vision, you become a target. Put differently, if she doesn’t get her way, you are on the exit highway. This isn’t governance—it’s political bullying, cloaked in hypocrisy, victimhood, respectability, and privilege.
Her remarks about “watch this space” reveal an alarming focus on revenge rather than progress. Zille has long used her platform to undermine legitimate concerns, dismissing critics and fostering a divisive “us versus them” mentality.
This politics of fear and vindictiveness was evident even during her tenure as Western Cape Premier (2009–2019), when she consistently pushed the narrative that the DA’s governance in the province was the only solution, ignoring the systemic inequalities many still face now in Cape Town and the entire Western Cape region.
Apartheid also claims to act in the best interests of its people.
Zille’s hypocrisy shines through in her attacks on the ANC, claiming moral high ground while herself being embroiled in controversy. Remember her infamous tweets about colonialism and refugees, which downplayed the brutal legacy of that era?
This alone demonstrates her detachment from the lived realities of most South Africans. Yet, she continues to wield privilege, consistently positioning herself as a political martyr, while brushing off the serious socioeconomic challenges that plague the majority.
But as the ANC, we must also take responsibility; we cannot afford to be passive in the face of Zille’s tactics. It is time for us to do better—to be better, to show that we are not only capable of confronting these divisive politics but that we are committed to offering a better, more inclusive future.
We cannot let her rhetoric of retribution shape our political landscape. We support the government of national unity (GNU), but we are not sellouts. We don’t and never will take orders from Madam Zille.
We remain committed to our people to heal , unite, and redress the historic injustices. We must demonstrate that true leadership is not about power for power’s sake; it’s about service, accountability, and compassion.
South Africans deserve leaders who rise above petty political squabbles, who understand that the goal of governance is to unite and uplift, not divide and conquer.
Zille’s politics have always been about maintaining control through fear and greed, but as the ANC, we must offer something different; a vision rooted in unity, fairness, and real, transformative change.
It’s time to wake up. Helen Zille’s politics of privilege, hypocrisy, and division have no place in the South Africa we want to build. As the ANC, we must stand firm, be better, and do better—for the sake of all South Africans.
* Faiez Jacobs is an ANC member, writing what he likes, in my personal capacity. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Independent Media and IOL.