DA wars: Phumzile van Damme blasts Helen Zille for ‘terrorising’ members

Phumzile van Damme has taken a stand against Helen Zille’s online meltdown this week, after she posted a Tweet that questioned the shadow communication minister’s commitment to the party.

Helen Zille’s latest Tweets – who’s upset, and why?

Zille’s tirades have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The controversy culminated when the DA’s Federal Chairperson stated that ‘there are more racist laws now than during apartheid‘. The tone-deaf, scarcely-believable remark has caused an almighty upheaval on the social networking site.

Helen Zille vs Phumzile van Damme – a tale of the Tweets

It was implied by Helen Zille that Phumzile van Damme was ‘chilling at home’, rather than working hard. This lead to van Damme biting back, and questioning why Zille had not yet been investigated for her colonialism Tweets. At this rate, HZ’s entire Twitter archive could be submitted to a review panel…

• This was the Tweet that sparked the row…

They chill at home, and enjoy the sea view.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) June 23, 2020

• Which then prompted a fierce response from Phumzile van Damme…

I appreciate you have over 1 million followers and you may not see this. I would WhatsApp you, like the professionalism I extend to you by discussing your tweets internally. But it seems you’re interested in a public discussion, so @helenzille, what exactly do you mean? pic.twitter.com/tR7xc7QHpK

— Phumzile Van Damme (@zilevandamme) June 24, 2020

• Before we eventually got Helen Zille’s attempt to ‘clarify’ what she meant.

“I meant that I believe you, and everyone else in the DA, would be relaxed and unperturbed by the assertion that a capable state, the rule of law, and a culture of accountability are essential for human progress, and that this has nothing to do with race.”

Helen Zille

Phumzile van Damme rejects ‘clarification’

The explanation absolutely has not washed with Phumzile van Damme, who stood her ground:

“You Tweet outrageous things and then backpedal. Not a single person who read your Tweet understood it to mean [something about being relaxed and unperturbed]. And it is not the first time you have publicly cast aspersions on my character. I saw your call, but since you raised this publicly, I want to discuss it here also.”

“The review recommended that there should be an investigation of your Colonialism Tweets. Where’s that investigation? Instead, your faction terrorised certain members over the past year. And reporting you to our Federal Legal Commission will mean nothing. We all know what our disciplinary processes have become…”

Phumzile van Damme

PVD also issued a warning to those siding with Helen Zille – she won’t play nice with anyone who tries to oust her from the party. Eish, things are getting messy over in the blue corner…

A message to the people who hounded Lindiwe and Mmusi out of the party who have been trying it and want to try it some more with me. No, in fact, A PERSON who manipulates others to join in his relentless thirst for power. Please come on through. Me I'm not as nice as them. pic.twitter.com/qCs9Y6ZWBo

— Phumzile Van Damme (@zilevandamme) June 24, 2020