The word ‘racist’ has lost all of its meaning – Helen Zille

Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille said that the word ‘racist’ has lost all of its meaning. “It means absolutely nothing,” she said.

Zille shared her thoughts about the political landscape in South Africa during a Suits & Sneakers interview titled ‘The Fight for Joburg’.

She was asked how she copes with the terrible things which are said about her online and in the political arena.

“You get used to it. You get thick-skinned. You get to the point where you don’t even bother to read it anymore or bother to listen to it anymore,” she said.

Zille added that, in time, it becomes a compliment. “You think, then, that it’s more a reflection on them. So, it really does not bother me,” she said.

One of the most common accusations against Zille and the Democratic Alliance, because many of the leaders are white, is that they are racist.

“The first time I was called a racist, I was flattened. I thought, ‘How can they say that about me?’” Zille said.

“Now, the word racist has lost all of its meaning. It means absolutely nothing. I know it doesn’t mean anything, so I just ignore it.”

“Ironically, we are the least racist party there is because we judge people on the value that they add, the value that they bring, and the principles that they hold.”

She said that is why everybody, black, white, and brown, is in the DA for that reason. “That is how we want to be judged,” she said.

She further dismissed the claim that black DA politicians are viewed as tokens, challenging critics to tell Minister Siviwe Gwarube that to her face.

“Tell Solly Msimanga, who’s the chairperson of our party, that he’s a puppet. Go and tell Jane Sithole, the deputy minister of small business, that she’s a puppet,” she said.

“You see, most people haven’t ever heard of these very prominent leaders in the DA, and the media is particularly to blame for this.”

“They haven’t heard of anybody. They never, ever profile anything they do. But let a black person leave the DA, and suddenly they’re a hero. Suddenly they’re everywhere.”

“Suddenly, they’re encouraged to call us racist and all this complete nonsense. I’m sick to death of that.”

“We’ve got prominent DA leaders who are black, but they don’t see themselves as envoys of a racial group. That’s why they join the DA.”