It was way back when in 2011 that the Helen Zille / Lindiwe Mazibuko alliance burnt brightly and ever so briefly, before the wheels came off and the short-lived love affair came to a public end.

Details of how and why that played out have been revealed in Zille’s new book, ‘Not Without a Fight’, detailing how the former DA leader erred in backing Mazibuko’s race for the party’s parliamentary leader.

In the end if was current Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip who was forced out as Mazibuko gunned for top spot, and it wasn’t long before Zille realised she had erred.

Details below from News24:

Zille sensed immediate resistance from Mazibuko after she took over as DA leader in Parliament and realised she Mazibuko merely saw her election as a stepping stone to become the party’s overall leader.

Zille reveals how Mazibuko had erected a “Berlin Wall” between the offices of the DA’s party and parliamentary leaders:

– Mazibuko refused to share an office with Zille in Parliament;

– Three weeks into the job, Mazibuko fired Geordin Hill-Lewis, Zille’s “outstanding” chief of staff who was recruited by Mazibuko to help her set up an office;

– Mazibuko cancelled the practice of joint press conferences by the party and parliamentary leaders;

– DA MPs addressed Mazibuko as “Madam Leader”;

– A plan was hatched to turn Mazibuko’s office into the centre of the DA’s communication network, and

– Mazibuko initially refused to let Zille’s stylist advise her about her wardrobe.

The relationship worsened, and eventually Mazibuko resigned in order to attend Harvard University. This left Helen with another dilemma – was a certain Mmusi Maimane ready for a run himself?

Zille concluded that she would have to return to Parliament, but then Mmusi Maimane’s “name kept coming up”.

“I was torn. I had enormous respect for Mmusi, who was a natural, but I was also acutely aware that Lindiwe had not been well served by such a rapid rise to the top slot in parliament, a premature move that had undoubtedly set back her career. I did not want this to happen to a second highly talented young politician.”

There’s more on the drama over HERE, but it’s fair to say that ‘Not Without a Fight’ will be a book that sets tongues wagging.

[source:news24]