Inside rapper Flex Rabanyan & Helen Zille’s spicy Twitter exchange

Vuzu's The Hustle winner Flex Rabanyan found himself in the middle of a spicy Twitter exchange with former Western Cape premier Helen Zille on Monday over land, food and job security.

The debate started when a tweep weighed in on a tweet claiming that the land panel's proposals would see an erosion of the protections of property rights. The tweep said such claims were "Helen Zille thinking", which was challenged by Zille.

"Sweetness, please give us your opinion on how you build the food-productivity and job-creation capacity of the land currently in black ownership. Thank you," she wrote.

Flex was not going to miss a beat and joined the conversation, sarcastically suggesting that black people did not eat anything before colonialism because they did not know how to farm. 

He ended his message by saying he was "worried about white people".

Zille responded by labelling Flex's statement as "stupid" and said the rapper was "clearly clueless".

"That is such a stupid statement. Think of population numbers, think of urbanisation and the need for viable farms to keep people in cities fed. You are clearly clueless. Have a nice day," she wrote. 

Flex hit back and said he was trying to tell her that the system she was so proud of was destroying the earth and was unsustainable. He added that Zille's "whole vibe is based on ignoring the truth".

"Helenic I am trying to explain to you that this whole living system that you guys are proud of is destroying the earth & is very unsustainable. But I don’t need to explain this to you because your whole vibe is based on ignoring the truth. Bhabhayi Gogo don’t let me reason you," he wrote.

The muso also responded to those who challenged his views.

He later added that he enjoyed engaging with people on topics that challenged how he saw the world.

"I don’t only follow people with ideas that I agree with, I also want to see other ideas that will challenge my view on the world."