Helen Zille says she wouldn't have done Showmax Roast if her mother was still alive

DA federal council chair Helen Zille has revealed she wouldn't have accepted the invitation to be guest of honour at the 2025 Showmax Roast if her mother was still alive.

The Roast, part of the Laugh Africa Comedy Festival, was held at the Sandton Convention Centre in May and will premiere on Showmax this Friday.

Zille said her mother was sensitive to criticism, often taking personal offence when someone spoke negatively about her daughter. “She suffered every time someone said something nasty about me,” Zille said.

“I’d say, 'Mom, this is politics,' but she’d take it so personally. She used to say I was too sensitive for politics, but the truth is she was too sensitive for me to be in politics. I’m actually relieved she never had to witness the social media era; I don’t think she would’ve survived it. I’m glad she lived in a time when the worst things people said about me were only in newspapers.”

Zille's mother died in 2015.

Zille admitted she had no idea what the Roast entailed when she accepted the invitation, thinking it was an invitation to a Sunday lunch. “I thought, 'That's like a Sunday lunch — sure!' It sounded like an invitation to a roast chicken. So, I said yes. Only later did I realise it was something else entirely.”

Zille faced a panel of comedians, musicians, and politicians, including Tumi Morake, Trevor Gumbi, Loyiso Gola and Patricia de Lille.

“I think they’re all interesting,” Zille said. “They’ve all made a mark in our society, they’re good at what they do, and they’re provocative. They can give a jab and take a jab, so they’ll be good sparring partners.”

She said she had no clue about The Real Housewives — Mel Viljoen and Londie London.

“I don’t know if they’re from Desperate Housewives or The Real Housewives. I know nothing about that world, so that’ll be new for me. But the rest I know, and I think they’ll handle this kind of exchange well.”

She explained that when she told her sons she was doing the Roast they were shocked.

“When I told my sons, they said, 'Ma, do you even know what a Roast is?' And I had to admit, 'No, I don’t. What is it?'

“They were like, 'Ma, are you crazy? You’re putting yourself out there for a toasting! You’re going to be chewed up.' I said, 'That’s fine. I get chewed up every day.'

“Then they sent me a few Roasts to watch, and honestly I couldn’t even understand them. I didn’t know what was funny about them! I thought, 'I can never be like this — I don’t even get the jokes.' But eventually they said, 'Well, Ma, if you want to do mad things, go ahead.'” 

As a seasoned politician, Zille said she's no stranger to being roasted in her daily life and isn't fazed by it.

“So much has happened in my life. I've been battered from every angle, cancelled countless times. If you look at my social media timeline, people are constantly being rude and carrying on. It just doesn't bother me any more.”

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