Helen Zille claims Malema’s EFF, not the ANC, is the DA’s main rival

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) federal council chairperson, Helen Zille, says because the ANC is such a poorly defined organisation, the Julius Malema-led Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is the Blue Party’s true competition in South African politics.

Zille says she arrived at this conclusion because she struggles to clearly define what the ANC stands for politically and philosophically, with some of its leaders being “totalitarian” while others leaning toward “constitutionalism”. However, she said the EFF’s position was crystal clear.

What does the ANC stand for?

“I don’t know what the ANC stands for. The EFF knows what they stand for,” Zille told 702’s Clement Manyathela.

Zille said the EFF was “totalitarian” in its configuration, but it was clearly defined.

“They [EFF] stand for the leader controlling the party, the party controlling the state, state controlling society… that’s your classic totalitarian system,” Zille said.

She reiterated that the DA knows what it stands for, similar to the EFF.

“What does the ANC stand for? I can’t answer that questions for them. I only know their mantra,” she said.

There’s no GNU, only a coalition, says Helen Zille

Zille was speaking to 702 about the mechanics and politics within the government of national unity (GNU), on the back statements she made last week saying the GNU was not misnomer, and rather South Africa was being governed by a coalition.

Speaking at an engagement hosted by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Zille said from the beginning, President Cyril Ramaphosa came up with the idea of a GNU, which he thought would be a better way of selling the concept of a coalition to his ANC party members.

“Of course this is not a government of national unity, because a GNU brings all parties together which would have had to include the EFF and MK Party which it did not. It still gave the president the fig leaf he needed to the include all the smaller parties to say he isn’t in a coalition with the DA.

“Now, the truth is we are actually in a coalition because a coalition means that if a partner withdraws from the coalition, the government falls,” Zille said last week.

Red Berets vindicated

Her sentiments have previously been echoed by Malema.

Since its inception, the Red Berets have rejected and labelled the GNU as a grand coalition between the DA and ANC. They also accused the ANC of selling out.

“It is common knowledge that the foundational document which constituted the GNU was signed by Helen Zille and Fikile Mbalula to
solidify the relationship and grand coalition between the two political parties,” Malema said.

And last Wednesday, the EFF expressed vindication with Zille’s statement.

“The EFF has also been correct in asserting that the coalition of the DA and ANC was engineered by the white capitalist establishment,” EFF said in a statement.