NATIONAL NEWS - Western Cape premier Helen Zille and former DA leader Tony Leon have criticised public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane after she insisted that Zille caused harm with her tweets on the legacy of colonialism.
The public protector said in response to Zille’s legal challenge to her tweet report that Zille’s comments were “likely to cause racial tension, divisions and violence in SA. Leaders in her position should avoid statements that have the effect of dividing society on the basis of their racial experiences,” Business Day reports.
But the former DA leader said Mkhwebane’s ruling was “bad” and “bizarre”.
Leon said: “This ‘ruling’ is bad, bizarre and dangerous and anyone concerned with free speech issues must oppose it. It completely ignores the SCA judgment in Masuku v SAHRC delivered 4/12. Why?”
Zille said Mkhwebane’s findings were “not final”.
“The report was about the public protector’s replying affidavit to my application for a court review of her report. Let’s wait for the court to decide,” she said.
Zille said it was important for people to remember that she never said colonialism was good.
“It is crucial to point out that I spoke about the legacy of colonialism. That is quite different from the event/episode itself. And I said the legacy was not only negative. The first lesson of history is that events, both good, bad and downright evil, have mixed legacies,” said Zille.
