As DA leader Helen Zille delivered her last speech from the command seat at the weekend‚ she movingly thanked her husband and two sons whom she described as her “unbelievable family”. “No one can be in politics with the demands that politics needs of you without a family that understands thy and supports that. ”They know what they’ve meant to me.They know that the love‚ the support‚ the commitment and the criticism – of course my husband and I often disagreed- has been the bedrock at which I can go forth and face the very tough challenges of the world”.Zille was speaking at the DA Federal Congress in Port Elizabeth. Colleagues‚ friends and her family paid tribute to the Zille‚ who stepped down on Saturday to make way for a new leader that will be elected on Sunday.A moving tribute from her two sons‚ Paul and Thomas Maree‚ not only had the audience in stitches at times‚ but evoked a few oohs and aaahs when they spoke fondly of their “endless love” for their mother.Tom and Paul Maree and Zille’s husband Johan and her close friend and mentor Allister Sparks all spoke fondly of Zille at the party’s elective congress at the Boardwalk Convention Centre in Port Elizabeth.Described as a tenacious‚ powerful leader who grew the party from 12% to over 24%‚ her sons said how they hoped her stepping down meant that she would have more time to spend with them and rest.Giving the delegates a small glimpse into her family life‚ which has largely been kept private‚ Paul joked that they were to blame for her being so tough.“We did everything we could to harden Helen so we are partly to blame. We believed she was destined for greatness so we gave her the hardest time possible growing up‚” he said to laughter.The sons then spoke fondly of their mother’s strength as a mother and politician. A picture slide of Zille and her family was shown with tribute messages was screened.“We were always amazed at how she could lead the DA and the Western Cape as premier and still put her family first. “She was the mother that demanded the best from us but made sure we never played victim.A mother with an endless supply of unconditional love.”Former Rand Daily Mail editor Allister Sparks‚ who nurtured Zille when she was starting out as a young journalist‚ spoke of their 44-year-old friendship.He said together they broke the story of former black consciousness leader Steve Biko’s death at the hands of the apartheid police.Sparks drew harsh criticism from social media when he listed apartheid master Hendrick Verwoed‚ as well as Zille as some of the smarted politicians.About her decision not to stand for re-election‚ Sparks said: “I think Helen timed her departure perfectly.“Knowing when to step down is one of the toughest decisions as egos can get in the way.” Western Cape DA leader Patricia de Lille also paid tribute to Zille‚ dismissing the notion that she was a dictator Zille was not a dictator‚ but a disciplinarian.”Many thought we would not get along because we both have strong personalities and we don’t like the word ‘no’. “I found the strongest partner in government‚ learnt from the best. She has turned the Western Cape government into a machine of delivery‚”De Lille said‚ adding that Zille would call meetings as early as 6am and demand answers‚ not excuses. DA chief executive Paul Boughey thanked Zille for always showing in interest in staff members’ lives.He said Zille always remembered staffers’ names‚ their partners’ and children’s names. - Herald..