Storm rages around Zille
2009-05-12 22:42
Cape Town - Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille declined to comment on a vitriolic personal attack by the ANC Youth League on Tuesday after she accused President Jacob Zuma of potentially exposing his wives to HIV.
"We will not dignify that with a response," her spokesperson Fritz de Klerk said.
The ANCYL said it was "disgusted by remarks attributed to the racist girl Helen Zille, who when failing to defend her stupid and sexist decision to appoint predominantly white males into her cabinet, attacks the President of the Republic of South Africa".
"Zille has appointed an all male cabinet of useless people, majority of whom are her boyfriends and concubines so that she can continue to sleep around with them, yet she claims to have the moral authority to question our President (sic)."
Militant action
The league threatened "militant action" against the new Western Cape premier.
Zille also drew fire from the ANC and the Congress of South African Trade Unions for telling The Sowetan: "Zuma is a self-confessed womaniser with deeply sexist views, who put all his wives at risk by having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman."
Zille further went on to say that "while some of the ANC's senior women achieved their positions on merit, others are well known 'quota appointments' ".
"The ANC can therefore pretend to be serious about women's rights, while actually patronising women who want to be recognised for their ability," Zille wrote.
The ANC called the comment "offensive". Cosatu termed it "disgraceful" and the Young Communists League weighed in with: "Ms Helen Zille is a sick woman who needs help."
Zille reportedly made the remark in response to criticism from Cosatu Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich on the composition of her provincial executive.
Zille is the only woman on the team and has been widely criticised for surrounding herself with all-male, mostly white, MECs.
New minister disappointed with Zille
On Monday, Zuma's new minister of women, youth, children and people with disabilities, Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya, had described Zille's executive as "a serious concern for all of us" and "not a pretty picture".
Zille, meanwhile, slammed the ANC for "paying lip-service to the empowerment of women", thereby "promoting the mindset that only women can care about the issues affecting women, or do something about them".
Hollow support for women's rights
Referring to Zuma's personal conduct, Zille, who fears that the national ANC government intends meddling in her province, retorted that the ANC's "professions of support for women's rights ring hollow indeed against this background".
Zuma conceded during his rape trial in 2006 that he had had unprotected sex with his accuser, an HIV positive family friend, but had showered afterwards to prevent infection.
The furore comes less than a week after Zuma told Parliament upon his election as President, that he hoped to improve relations with the opposition.
- SAPA