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Why Zille's tweets on colonialism are wrong

Thursday’s “firestorm” on Premier Zille’s tweets is a positive thing. It gave us yet another opportunity to reflect on our history as South Africans, engage on perceptions, and facilitate an understanding of each other within our diverse contexts. Instead the debate quickly deteriorated to hurling stereotypical and personal attacks. Arguments were too often illogical, based on blind prejudice and alternative facts.

Premier Zille posted a number of tweets in the context of her visit to Singapore; a country that was colonised, but has made great strides to develop, empower its citizens, and prosper. In two particularly problematic tweets, Premier Zille posed that the legacy of colonialism has benefitted South Africa in several ways.

The first: “For those claiming legacy of colonialism was ONLY negative, think of our independent judiciary, transport infrastructure, piped water, etc.” 

The second: “Would we have had a transition into specialised health care and medication without colonial influence? Just be honest, please.”

Is an independent judiciary, transport infrastructure or piped water negative? No. Is the legacy of colonialism negative? Yes. Would South Africa have developed specialised health care and medication? Well, colonialism robbed us of that answer.

Tweeting that the legacy of colonialism had some benefit is all wrong. This country’s early infrastructure is built on the sweat and indignity of the very people who were denied access to it. A cake baked with stolen flour, and shared discriminately, does not a good cake make. 

The legacy of colonialism is one that took full political power, imposed its culture, structures and practices, and exploited the resources economically. Was the colonial way the supreme way? No. We only know what we know, and are what we are through the lens of colonialism.

Further, these tweets insinuate and endorse a common perception that the first people were incapable of their own development and advancement. This is the worst, most derogatory assumption. 

South Africans, mainly black, erupted into rejections of these statements, and rightly so. Our history is a painful one. Our deep, raw wound endures like a leper in hiding in plain sight: yet to be attended to, yet to be cleansed and yet to be healed.

Debate on these tweets quickly became personal attacks on Premier Zille, the DA collectively, and pitched South African against South African. Most black participants defaulted to “she is a racist”, “the DA is racist”, “all white people are racist” propaganda. Propaganda does not speak to the callousness of the tweets, challenge blind prejudice, or impart the hurt such insensitivity causes.

“The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.” - Garry Kasparov

Most white commentators maintained the “let’s get over it”, “I did nothing wrong”, “but what would they have done without us” attitude. This denies historical white liability and present privilege. 

Premier Zille did later tweet: I apologise unreservedly for a tweet that may have come across as a defence of colonialism. It was not.” 

This is not unreserved because it is contingent on whether someone may or may not have interpreted her tweet to be in defence of colonialism. It does not concede that the statements were wrong. 

Is Premier Zille a racist or a supporter of colonialism? No. She is an astute woman who helped expose Steve Biko’s murder, hosted persecuted apartheid “fugitives”, and undeniably contributed to the democracy we have today. 

These tweets expose a blind spot, one that she will have to examine.

Some South Africans are now holding the DA to ransom: fire Zille or the DA is a racist party filled with black puppets. This is hypocritical because Premier Zille is entitled to administrative action that is lawful, reasonable and procedurally fair.  She has been referred to the DA Federal Legal Commission by Mmusi Maimane.

It is fallacious to pin the tweet of any one person on the DA. Whilst she helped build and lead the DA to become the most diverse and progressive political party (possibly in the world); her view is not the DA view. In her position as former Leader and current Premier she still carries great influence on the DA brand and message.

Every black person who signs a membership form with the party does so voluntarily, and the many black men and women who help lead the party went through the same selection process as their every white counterpart. Calling black leaders puppets is abhorrent because it endorses the notion that black people still say "yes baas" to a white master.

The DA is held to a higher moral standard, and espouses the values of freedom, fairness and opportunity.  When one strips away the party politics - these are values held dear by South Africans across the lines of class, race, gender, etc.  

Our history can neither be changed nor interpreted to suit one particular perspective. Colonialism is a recurrence across the ages and terrains such as America, Australia, Russia, Asia, etc. Arguing King Shaka Zulu was also a colonialist does not contribute helpfully to the debate.

The history taught in our textbooks is defective, and can be partially blamed for a distorted understanding of our local and global history. They read biased timelines and accounts of selected leaders and events. They fail fully disclose the stories of black oppression and black success.

For debate to become constructive we need to challenge pre-existing narratives, overcome groupthink and engage with individuals to understand each of our unique experiences and context.

Premier Zille and the Democratic Alliance are not the losers, but South Africa might.  It is up to each of us, each thread in our beautiful tapestry of diversity, to remind ourselves who we are and who we promised to become.

This is my imperfect perspective, which I will re-evaluate in respect of convincing counter arguments. Let’s engage.

"We, the people of South Africa, Recognise the injustices of our past; Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity. We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to – Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights; Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law; Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations."

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