DA formally charges Zille for bringing party into disrepute

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille was formally charged on Wednesday with bringing the Democratic Alliance into disrepute and damaging the party.

DA federal committee chairman James Selfe confirmed that formal charges had been laid regarding her public views on colonialism‚ reported News24.

TimesLIVE reported earlier this month that Zille would face disciplinary action for her tweets about colonialism. "The charge against Ms Zille is that she has allegedly violated the party's federal constitution by acting in a manner which has brought the party into disrepute‚ " DA leader Mmusi Maimane said at the time.

• It's DA-Day for Helen ZilleThe DA leadership faces a watershed moment this morning as its federal executive meets to decide how to deal with former leader Helen Zille's comments on colonialism.

Zille tweeted last month: "For those claiming legacy of colonialism was ONLY negative‚ think of our independent judiciary‚ transport infrastructure‚ piped water‚ etc."

"Would we have had a transition into specialised healthcare and medication without colonial influence? Just be honest‚ please‚" she wrote in a second tweet.

• Zille, tweeting and inanity: more reasons for white South Africans to shut upIt’s remarkable how much of a shitstorm Twitter creates when in the hands of politicians – with serious costs for the rest of us.

Maimane responded in a tweet‚ “Let's make this clear: Colonialism‚ like Apartheid‚ was a system of oppression and subjugation. It can never be justified.”

Zille has since apologised.