Helen Zille is an unashamed liar who breaks up coalitions – Gayton McKenzie

Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader and Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, said that Helen Zille is a liar and that she is known for breaking up coalitions.

He shared this information during an interview with Biznews about the upcoming local elections and the changing political landscape.

McKenzie said that Zille is respected in many circles and that those people trust her implicitly, independent of her accusations.

“If Helen Zille says tomorrow that Gayton McKenzie is pregnant, those people will ask whether it is a boy or a girl,” he said.

However, he said that this trust in Zille is misguided, citing her accusations that he puts the mothers of his children on boards he controls.

“Now, that’s a lie. This woman lies unashamedly. It’s so easy to prove. Let her give you the name of whoever has a child with me who’s on the board,” he said.

He added that Zille has been accusing the Patriotic Alliance of corruption since 2014, without providing evidence.

“Some of the things that she said, if I were on the other side of it, I would be talking to my lawyers. But in politics, it seems like anything goes,” he said.

He added that she is known for breaking up political coalitions and for costing the DA power in Johannesburg.

He said that the PA, along with the DA and other parties, struck a deal for a coalition in Johannesburg to ensure the ANC lost power.

“We shook hands. ActionSA, Freedom Front Plus, PA, and the DA agreed and mapped out a deal on a Friday,” he said.

“On Sunday, I opened the Sunday Times, and saw that the DA said they would not work with a criminal organisation.”

“ActionSA was in trouble because Helen Zille didn’t keep her word. Herman Mashaba tried everything to keep it together, but it did not work.”

McKenzie said that it was not only the PA which complained about Zille. “The Freedom Front, ActionSA, and the IFP complained,” he said.

“It’s like women who say all men are dogs. That’s the type of attitude you cannot put up with. You cannot work with Helen Zille. She is impossible to work with.”

McKenzie said that the problem is that nobody wants to work with Zille. “It’s not a DA problem. It’s a Helen Zille problem.”

Helen Zille has been the poison in coalitions – Michael Beaumont

Gayton McKenzie is not the only politician who pointed to Helen Zille as being a problem in building coalitions.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont also said that Zille has been the poison in coalitions, and she has even kept her own party out of power.

Beaumont shared his views about South Africa’s political landscape and coalitions during a Newsday interview.

During the discussion, he shared information about the collapse of the Democratic Alliance (DA)-led multi-party coalition in the City of Johannesburg.

Following the November 2021 municipal elections, Mpho Phalatse was elected executive mayor heading a multi-party arrangement.

The core coalition included the DA, ActionSA, IFP, VF Plus, ACDP, and COPE, which later brought into a working alignment with Gayton McKenzie’s PA.

In 2022 and 2023, the coalition became unstable, culminating in a successful motion of no confidence that ended Phalatse’s tenure as mayor.

However, there was an opportunity to reclaim the city from the ANC and EFF coalition. However, according to Beaumont, Zille stopped this from happening.

“Zille has repeatedly acted as a disruptive force in Gauteng coalition negotiations. On multiple occasions, viable agreements were on the table, which she broke,” he said.

He cited the negotiations in the Johannesburg Metro following Phalatse’s removal as executive mayor.

“ActionSA, the DA, the Patriotic Alliance, and other former partners reached a consensus to restore the coalition,” he said.

“To make this work, ActionSA surrendered two of its three Mayoral Committee seats to the Patriotic Alliance, securing the majority to reinstate Mpho Phalatse as mayor.”

“Hands were shaken, and PA leader Gayton McKenzie publicly announced the deal. Yet, Helen Zille single-handedly vetoed the agreement.”

See Helen Zille’s response to these accusations here