It’s happened again: Helen Zille’s latest take on colonialism ruffles feathers

Helen Zille has donned a tin-hat once more during her online adventures, after Tweeting about the sore subject of colonialism on Monday’s public holiday for reconciliation.

The DA executive is no stranger to ruffling feathers on this topic. She was removed from all party activities back in 2017 for defending the benefits of the historically-cruel system. The argument has flared-up a few times since then, and Zille has refused to back down – she even accused Julius Malema of echoing her message earlier this year.

Helen Zille’s latest colonialism Tweets

But, as South Africans were enjoying their day off, Helen Zille wasn’t about to rest-up herself. She got dragged into a debate about the legacy of colonialism, and gave her own impromptu history lesson:

“When Africans colonized Europe, they wiped out the Neanderthals they found there. And in Europe they re-purposed colonialism’s legacy. They didn’t seek to eradicate it. Let’s learn from those African colonialists.”

Helen Zille, 16 December 2019

Fuel was added to the fire when a Tweet of hers, allegedly deleted on Monday, also listed the benefits of colonial interference.

This is the tweet @helenzille deleted a minute ago, stating reasons Africans should be grateful for Colonialism #Reconciliation pic.twitter.com/dFuMpZP7WW

— African (@ali_naka) December 16, 2019

Social media reacts

The comments received mixed reviews, with some trying to back-up Helen Zille’s defence of colonialism with their own. However, a large number of Twitter users maintained that the regime “could not be justified”.

The Roman's colonised this world and were 100% more brutal than the British or French or Portuguese, and, yes we all survived and there were benefits that we still talk about today.. and we all moved on…

— Man from Port Elizabeth… (@VernonHaley13) December 16, 2019

Colonialism was disgraceful and cannot be justified…the so called 'benefits' that came about could have been achieved through other more humane means…the oppression of the African wasn't a prerequisite for written word,state institutions and formal schooling

— Bright Munyaradzi Shadaya (@ShadayaBright) December 16, 2019

Back in April, Helen Zille was challenged by a pro-ANC account which accused her of dismissing colonialism’s ills. The former DA leader was in no mood to accept this version of events however, and caused another storm in a teacup by inisisting colonialism “wasn’t all negative”. Indeed, this is a sword she is willing to live and die by.