The boxing gloves were off yesterday as Zille took to the twittersphere to defend the donations received by the DA from the Gupta’s family and a senior executive, as well as the credibility of the DA. Zille maintains the receipt of a donation and not a bribe.

This all began in 2009 when the DA received a sizeable donation from Sahara Computers. Zille’s defence is that she was under the impression that the donations came from Mr Nel, a senior executive and not from Sahara Computers, owned by the Guptas.

Zille insisted that the cash monies were legitimate and simply donations. The businessman later donated an amount in his personal capacity to the DA.

Zille was asked by the DA North West provincial leader Chris Hattingh to approach the Guptas for additional funding, but she declined, stating

By this time, I was becoming concerned about news stories linking donations from companies associated with the Guptas to the ANC’s power abuse and political patronage.

She later instructed the DA’s fundraising department, “to have nothing to do with the Gupta family or any of their companies.”

Yesterday the outraged public took to twitter to question these “findings” of these donations. This is just a taste of the rage storm that broke on twitter yesterday.

@sentletse @helenzille @justicemalala Isn’t it a bribe ONLY if you fulfill the donator’s expectations. Otherwise it’s just a donation, no?

— HlomlaDandala (@HlomlaDandala) February 3, 2013

@sentletseNonsense.As soon as I read that they gave donations to opposition to keep us quiet, I cut off all contact. And spoke out!

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 3, 2013

@sentletseNonsense.As soon as I read that they gave donations to opposition to keep us quiet, I cut off all contact. And spoke out!

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 3, 2013

@helenzille But you accepted what you say was an intended bribe and kept it. That you later spoke doesn’t make it less of what it was.

— Sentletse (@Sentletse) February 3, 2013

The banter carried on for almost two hours, while Zille was at the fore front, thumbs ready to tweet any non-believers.

@sentletse your analogy doesn’t work! One bribes a cop to get out of a penalty because they have done something wrong. Read up “donation”!

— James White (@James_Wit) February 3, 2013

Some even went as far as to incorporate the Bret Kebble case.

If Kebble hadn’t died it wouldn’t have been murder.I wasn’t bribed! RT @lulumzoneli: @sentletse Like Kebble case,Assisted Suicide = Murder

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 3, 2013

 

Some Zille fans backed the DA leader, and were not impressed with the intense scrutiny of Helen Zille.

Long ago! Have you been hibernating? “@headlinepayoff: When did baiting @helenzille on twitter become a national sport?”

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 3, 2013

@helenzille The one accessible politician in this country and all people do is moan. I think you deserve a cup of tea. How many sugars?

— HEADLINE payoff (@headlinepayoff) February 3, 2013

A round of applause for Helen Zille, for providing us with excellent spectator blood sport. Right or wrong, she held her ground. She concluded the evening’s of twar with this.

If you don’t know how to unfollow me, I’ll help by blocking you. “@lakhilakhi:Don’t tweet me!”

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) February 3, 2013

 

[Source:  TimesLive]