Helen Zille suspended but still premier
Zille’s tweets and justifications ‘have damaged’ the DA’s standing in the public mind, says party federal chairman
Helen Zille has been suspended from the DA with immediate effect, but she has kept her job as Western Cape premier. The former party leader will remain suspended until the outcome of a disciplinary process against her that kicks off on Friday. The suspension is a psychological victory for DA leader Mmusi Maimane, but will have little practical effect. Calls for Zille to resign as premier are mounting, with the latest coming from former DA leader Tony Leon. Zille is barred from participating in party activities, but may participate in caucus work in the Western Cape provincial legislature. She no longer holds a national position in the party, but attends national leadership meetings because of her position as premier. It is understood she has stayed away from meetings since the furore over her tweets on colonialism began. The decision to suspend Zille was taken during a teleconference involving the party’s federal executive committee on Wednesday morning, when Zille’s representations...
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