SOUTH AFRICA’S Democratic Alliance (DA) party announced at the weekend that its former leader Helen Zille has been “suspended from all party-related activities” for making comments in praise of colonialism.

Current DA leader Mmusi Maimane said his predecessor’s suspension would last “until such time as her disciplinary hearing is concluded.”

The party has been in uproar since Ms Zille tweeted in March that South Africa’s colonial legacy was not only negative, citing “our independent judiciary, transport infrastructure, piped water etc.”

The main opposition party has its roots in the white minority that benefited from apartheid, but it has broadened its appeal among South Africa’s black majority in recent years and made big gains in last year’s local elections.

Her claims had harmed the DA and undermined reconciliation efforts, said Mr Maimane.

“We live in a fragile democracy, which means our public representatives must, at all times, be sensitive to the legitimate anger that people still feel about our past and its legacy,” he added.

The DA party leadership wrote to Ms Zille, informing her of its plan to suspend her pending a disciplinary hearing, it announced later.

She has three days to present any arguments about why she should not be suspended, it explained.

Ms Zille ridiculed the conflicting statements emanating from party leaders about whether she was suspended or not, insisting that the party had no right to find her guilty before the disciplinary hearing.

“I cannot be bullied into resigning or incriminating myself,” she tweeted.

Ms Zille, now the Western Cape premier, also disputed Mr Maimane’s comment that she had refused to apologise, claiming to have done so publicly.