Helen Zille fights back, refus

Helen Zille fights back, refuses to be ‘bullied into resigning’

We don’t have enough political scandal in this country, so it’s nice to see the DA try and help out.

Helen Zille fights back, refus

After a bruising weekend for the former DA leader, Helen Zille has responded to the suspension given to her by Mmusi Maimane after comments she made about colonialism in South Africa.

Zille disputes the claims that she has not already apologised for her remarks, and argues that the Federal Executive’s decision to suspend her simply does not comply with the rules set within their own constitution.

The Western Cape premier is expected to carry on her work as the province leader during her enforced leave and stressed that she has been given until the 6th June to compile her reasons as to why she should not be suspended from officially representing the opposition party.

In a statement released on Saturday, Zille made it clear that she wasn’t about to throw in the towel anytime soon and fiercely refuted the sanctions imposed on her.

Read: Zille suspended from the DA, but continues as Premier: Twitter isn’t buying it

She claims that Maimane and DA federal executive James Selfe are contradicting each other, saying that the current leader is wrong about her suspension being ‘already operative’.

Continuing to target Maimane, Zille was adamant that he hasn’t revealed the ‘full story’ behind her suspension, promising that the truth would reveal itself over time.

Zille continued by clarifying her position on the matter and explained that she had apologised for her pro-colonialism tweets publically, but was not ready to plead guilty to misconduct charges she doesn’t agree with. Citing the ‘freedom and fairness’ the DA stands for, Zille intimated that her suspension does not follow conventional law.

She concluded her statement with a defiant refusal to be ‘bullied into resigning’, and remains vehemently opposed to what she perceives as being ‘found guilty before the hearing even takes place’. The crux of Zille’s defence is that the party has violated their own federal constitution (section 3.6.3, in case you’re wondering) by suspending her.

Read: Zille formally charged over colonialism tweets

Maimane succeeded her in May 2015 as leader of the DA, and he has personally expressed his offence at her colonist support. He does not believe she has apologised properly and made the decision to suspend her over the weekend.

South African political parties and internal division: It never ends.