The incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma has had all South Africans penning their thoughts down on various social media platforms. Former Premier of the Western Cape Helen Zille shared her opinions with a lengthy post on Facebook and popular satirist Lesego Tlhabi a.k.a Coconut Kelz has a few words for Zille.
HELEN ZILLE’S WORDS
In Zille’s post she reflected on how she got to know the former president during his time in office emphasizing that she had many personal interactions with him outside of the political space.
She further highlighted that after being suspended by the DA, Zuma reached out to her and she was stunned that of all people he would be the one to reach out to her.
An excerpt of Zille’s post read,
“Yes, politics turned him into a wily and crafty man, but the real President Zuma, underneath it all, often shone through. Personal warmth and empathy lay at the heart of it. It was not an affected charm. It was sincere.”
Helen Zille
LESEGO TLHABI RESPONDS
News24’s political editor Qaanitah Hunter posted a link to Helen Zille’s words on Twitter to which Lesego responded to by saying Zille reminds her of her grade 7 anthropology teacher who she saw as condescending and racist during her school days.
Lesego uses Dr Sithembile Mbete’s tweet to further elaborate her point. Dr Mbete posted screenshots of a text titled Journal of the Royal African Society written by J.C Smuts.
https://twitter.com/LesegoTlhabi/status/1414218805887344644
Lesego further writes,
“Likening tradition to lawlessness when lawlessness was the s**t that came on boats – colonialism, apartheid, segregation… Look, nothing about what is happening in KZN is cute. I can’t believe people who know there’s people fighting for Zuma rn but not this s**t as the reason.”
https://twitter.com/LesegoTlhabi/status/1414220421533257731
TWEEPS REACT
One Twitter user reminisced about Helen Zille writing a piece on the passing of Steve Biko’s passing. “Helen Zille wrote that story about Steve Biko’s death and thought that gave her a free pass to say whatever she wants about black people ever since.”
Lesego responded writing, “And she reminds us every time she does rubbish like this. Fok man”.
https://twitter.com/LesegoTlhabi/status/1414220533764399121
One Twitter user noted that they didn’t see any racism in Helen Zille’s post where another tweep chimed in to fill them in.
https://twitter.com/andymashie/status/1414234505657868290