News24

File:News24 logo.jpg
News24 Homepage
Type	Online
Format	Online
Owner	24.com
Publisher	Geoff Cohen
Editor	Jannie Momberg
News editor	Estrelita Moses
Founded	-
Headquarters	Cape Town
Official website	http://www.news24.com

News24 is a South African online news resource. It is accessible via the web, on DStv, and mobile phones. The main news sections are South Africa, Africa, World, Sport, Sci-Tech and Entertainment. News24 also reports business news through Fin24. Other related content sites include:

• Ancestry24
• Careers24
• Food24
• GoTravel24
• Health24
• Property24
• Wheels24
• Women24
• Parent24

News24 has also related news sites in Afrikaans:

• Nuus24
• Sake24

News24 also produces regular Special Reports.^[1]

Nuus24 also hosts Afrikaans newspapers websites for Beeld, Die Burger and Volksblad thus making News24/Nuus24 the largest supplier of Afrikaans news content. It also hosts websites for Sunday newspapers Rapport and City Press and a number of Media24 community newspapers.^[1]

News24 is operated by 24.com, and is a full member of the Online Publishers Association (OPA).

See also[link]

• Beeld
• Cape Argus
• Cape Times
• Die Burger
• Media24

References[link]

External links[link]

• News24 Homepage
• 24.com Homepage

This South African newspaper-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article about a media company is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article about a publishing company is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Divya Bharti (25 February 1974 – 5 April 1993) was an Indian film actress,^[1] whose acting variety hailed her as "the most interesting young actress of her generation" starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the early 1990s. She appeared in Hindi films of Bollywood, as well as Telugu and Tamil films. Bharti played a variety of character types; her film roles along with her screen persona contributed to a change in the concept of a Hindi film heroine.^[2]

After spending much of her childhood in Mumbai, Bharti began a career as an actress in 1990 with the Telugu film Bobbili Raja. Her early film appearances were minor, but in films like Vishwatma (1992) where her performance in the song "Saat Samundar Paar" drew attention to her. By 1992, Bharti had progressed to leading roles in films like Shola Aur Shabnam , a melodramatic film that dwelt on her undauntedness. Her dramatic performance in Deewana later that year was hailed by critics and garnered a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.^[3] Bharti has acted in over 14 Hindi films between 1992 and 1993.^[4] Throughout her career, she often played strong female characters and, apart from mainstream cinema. Bharti's last completed films were Rang, co-starring Kamal Sadanah and Shatranj with Jackie Shroff, both released posthumously. ^[5]

Though her career went through certain periods of decline, she reinvented herself numerous times and was credited for her ability to sustain her status.^[6] The final years of Bharti's life were marked by personal problems, and a reputation for unreliability and difficulty to work with. Her career was cut short by her mysterious death on 5 April 1993.^[7] The circumstances of her death, falling from the window ledge of her five-story Versova apartment have been the subject of conjecture.

Family and early life[link]

Divya Bharti was born on February 25 1974, in the Mumbai, India, the eldest child of Omprakash Bharti an insurance officer and Meeta Bharti.^[8] Meeta Bharti was the second wife of Omprakash Bharti. She had a younger brother Kunal. Bharti Studied at Maneckji Cooper High School in Juhu, Mumbai, in same era as actors Farhan Akhtar and Rani Mukherji attended. She was an average in studies and completed grade 9th.^[9]

Career[link]

1988-1990: Early work and career beginnings[link]

In 1988, Bharti met film-maker Nandu Tolani when she accompanied a friend. Upon seeing her, Nandu Tolani insisted that she become an actress. At that time Bharti was in the ninth standard. She was originally scheduled to make her screen debut in Gunahon Ka Devta in 1988, but her role was cancelled later.^[10] Kirti Kumar (Govinda's brother) noticed the Divya at a video library, was eager to sign up Divya for Radha Ka Sangam opposite Govinda. Weeks later Kirti went personally to meet Dilip Shankar and managed to release Divya from their contract. Before the first shot was taken, Bharti was out of the film after being groomed for two years and replaced by Juhi Chawla.^[11]

Bharti's career was on end until D. Ramanaidu, one of the biggest producers of Telugu cinema offered Bobbili Raja opposite his son Daggubati Venkatesh. She commenced shooting for her first release. The film was released in the summer of 1990 and became a colossal hit.^[12] She was introduced as Rani, daughter of the minister who has had all the comforts of life. The film was considered an usual launch for a newcomer, However, she was eventually noticed for her role, particularly for the forthright character she played.

Although highly regarded for her acting abilities, Bharti acted in only one Tamil film titled Nila Penne opposite Anand Babu, the son of legendary actor, Nagesh who was most widely known for several leading roles in the early 1990s and his dancing exploits. The film was critically and financially unsuccessful.^[13]

1990–1992:Rise to stardom in Telugu cinema[link]

With more hits, Bharti became a bigger name in Telugu cinema.^[14] In box-office ratings, she figured next to Vijayshanti. In 1991, Bharti gave back-to-back hits, including Rowdy Alludu and Assembly Rowdy opposite Chiranjeevi and Mohan Babu.^[15]

Later that year, A Kodandarami Reddy's action romantic Dharma Kshetram under Sri Rajeev Productions released. Bharti essayed the role of beautiful girl along with a prominent Telugu film actor Nandamuri Balakrishna, who then starred in many critical and commercial films with the highest number of dual roles (Thirteen). The film went on to become one of the biggest hits of Telugu cinema of its time.^[16] Nandamuri Balakrishna said about her performance, "This is an exceptional position reflecting an exceptional role she has played for us." ^[17]

1992–1993:Rise to stardom in Bollywood[link]

Bharti's first Bollywood film was Vishwatma opposite Sunny Deol, directed by Rajiv Rai which released on January 2, 1992. The film was an average grosser at the box office but gained Bharti wider recognition from the public as well as film critics.^[18] the film was only declared an average grosser.^[19] Notably, the music of the film was very successful especially the song "Saat Samundar" which became a favorite and gave Bharti the limelight into Bollywood..^[20]

Seven days later, Bharti's next film, Lawrence D'Souza's romantic drama Dil Ka Kya Kasoor alongside Prithvi and Sanam released but opened badly.^[21] Bharti's role was that of a girl by the name of Seema, who is secretly in love with a guy who wants to be a singer. She secretly helps him become a successful singer by writing songs for him but keeps her identity a secret from him. Through her songs he becomes popular and wealthy virtually overnight. The music of this film from duo Nadeem-Shravan was an instant hit due to its catchy melody. But the film din't do well at the box office. However, Filmfare magazines started including Bharti in the list of 1992 "Top Ten Best Actress Performances". After Bharti's flops, she was quoted as saying, "I wanted to prove myself. But I've fallen flat on my face. Now, I have to begin my climb all over again. Yet, I'm positive that one day, success will be mine." (Stardust, March 1992).^[22]

In March 1992, David Dhawan's Shola Aur Shabnam was released. Bharti starred as Divya, the love interest of Karan (Govinda. Karan and Divya both plan to marry each other. Circumstances act against them, and they flee together, with Kali Baba's (Gulshan Grover) men after them. Shola Aur Shabnam was popular with critics and was a box office hit in India,^[23] establishing Bharti once again. She received a Lux Face of the Year title. It also gave a big boost to Govinda's career^[24], as well as launching David Dhawan as an established director.^[25].

Four months later, Bharti received further success in Raj Kanwar's Filmfare award winning love story Deewana ^[26] starred veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, and newcomer Shahrukh Khan. Bharti essayed the role of Kajal who falls in love and marries a famous singer named Ravi (Rishi Kapoor). After Ravi is presumed dead after falling off a cliff, the widowed and depressed Kajal meets a young man named Raja (Shahrukh Khan). Deewana grossed 14 crore, and Boxoffice India declared it a hit.^[27] Her performance in Deewana was highly appreciated. ^[28] Critics reported that Bharti belonged to a new breed of Hindi film actors that breaks away from character stereotypes. Bharti and Shahrukh Khan both were awarded with Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut respectively.

By July 1992, Bharti's work in Deewana was said to have earned her more acknowledge. She was listed as one of the "Most Valuable Young Stars". Further films like Jaan Se Pyaara, once again with Govinda, Geet and Balwaan with another debutant Sunil Shetty followed. Balwaan premiered on 11 September 1992 and was an success, establishing Sunil Shetty as a tough action hero. The film was considered an unusual for Bharti, as her role called for only minutes of screen time. Her role was small, and was not well received. She was mostly criticised for taking a role of minimal importance. Although she explained that the decision was significant, so even when characters are being unkind it's hard not to like

By the end of the year, She starred in Hema Malini's Dil Aashna Hai once again co-starring Shahrukh Khan. The film tells the story of a young girl brought up in a brothel, who is a cabaret dancer in Digvijay Singh's (Kabir Bedi) five-star hotel. Karan (Shahrukh Khan) falls in love with Laila. Laila is aided by Karan in the search for her birth mother. Laila is determined to bring seek answers and find acceptance from her real mother. The film garnered negative reviews and poor box office returns.^[29] She described the role as an attempt to pretext her cursorial public image. Hema Malini labelled her role by stating that "The lady has not just looked glamorous but she has walked with symmetry, smiled with austerity and spoke with sangfroid" ^[30]

Bharti's final film before her death was the ensemble film Kshatriya, released just 10 days before her death. Her last completed films Rang and Shatranj were released months after her death and dedicated to her memory. She had completed 80% shooting of the film Laadla before her role was recast with Sridevi. She was also set to star in films like Mohra, Vijaypath, Kartavya and Andolan but was replaced by other actresses.

Personal life[link]

Bharti married film producer Sajid Nadiadwala in 1992.^[7] They had met in 1990 at Film City, when Sajid dropped by the sets to meet Govinda on the sets of Shola Aur Shabnam.^[31]

Death and aftermath[link]

Around midnight of 5 April 1993, Bharti fell to her death from a five-storey Versova apartment building in Mumbai. There was much speculation by the media regarding Bharti's sudden demise, including the possibility of accidental death, well planned conspiracy or even murder. ^[32] Mumbai Police failed to find evidences and closed the investigation in 1998. Some conspiracy theories involved her husband Sajid Nadiadwala, while other theories suggested Mafia complicity. But the circumstances of her death still remain a mystery.^[33]

Bharti's body was released to her family, who had arranged for a cremation ceremony.^[34] On 7 April 1993, Bharti was cremated in Hindu fashion.

Filmography[link]

Incomplete films[link]

Year of release	Title	Co-Star	Replacement
1993	Dhanwan	Ajay Devgan	Karisma Kapoor
1993	Tholi Muddhu	Prashanth	Rambha
1993	Do Kadam	Salman Khan	N
1993	Parinaam	Akshay Kumar	N
1993	Chal Pe Chal	Jackie Shroff	N
1993	Bajrangi	Sunny Deol	N
1994	Mohra	Akshay Kumar	Raveena Tandon
1994	Laadla	Anil Kapoor	Sridevi
1994	Vijaypath	Ajay Devgan	Tabu
1995	Andolan	Ajay Sharma	Mamta Kulkarni
1995	Kartavya (1995 film)	Sanjay Kapoor	Juhi Chawla
1995	Angrakshak	Sunny Deol	Pooja Bhatt
1995	Hulchul	Ajay Devgan	Kajol
1995	Kanyadaan	Rishi Kapoor	Manisha Koirala

The list of incomplete films is copyright from Filmfare and Cineblitz magazines of May 1993.

N = Indicates that the movie wasn't made.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Divya Bharti at the Internet Movie Database
• http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-07/news-interviews/31300649_1_biopic-bollywood-debut-mystery
• http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/Not-making-film-based-on-Divya-Bharti-Sandhu/Article1-837814.aspx

The Honourable Helen Zille MPP
Premier of the Western Cape
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2009
Preceded by	Lynne Brown
Leader of the Democratic Alliance
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2007
Preceded by	Tony Leon
31st Mayor of Cape Town
In office 15 March 2006 – 30 April 2009
Preceded by	Nomaindia Mfeketo
Succeeded by	Dan Plato
Personal details
Born	Otta Helene Zille (1951-03-09) 9 March 1951 (age 61) Hillbrow, Johannesburg, Transvaal Province, Union of South Africa
Nationality	South African
Political party	Democratic Alliance
Other political affiliations	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Johann Maree
Children	Paul Maree Thomas Maree
Alma mater	University of the Witwatersrand
Profession	Journalist, Politician
Religion	Uniting Presbyterian
Website	www.helenzille.co.za

Helen Zille (legal name Otta Helene Maree née Zille; born 9 March 1951) is the Premier of the Western Cape,^[1] a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament,^[2] leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance political party, and a former Mayor of Cape Town.

Zille is a former journalist and anti-apartheid activist,^[3][4][5] and famously exposed the truth behind the death of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko while working for the Rand Daily Mail in the late 1970s.^[6] She also worked with the Black Sash and other pro-democracy groups during the 1980s.^[7] In the political arena, Zille has worked in all three tiers of government—as the Western Cape province's education MEC (1999–2004), as a Member of Parliament (2004–2006), as Mayor of Cape Town (2006–2009), and as Premier of the Western Cape (2009–present).

Zille's work as mayor, and in particular her successes in tackling crime, drug abuse and unemployment in Cape Town, led to her selection as World Mayor of the Year in 2008 - from a field of 820 candidates.^[8][9] She was also chosen as Newsmaker of the year 2006 by the National Press Club in July 2007, and is a former finalist in the South African Woman of the Year Award.^[10] Zille speaks English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa as well as German, the language of her parents.^[11]

Early life and career[link]

Early years, education and family[link]

Helen Zille was born in Johannesburg, the eldest child of parents who separately left Germany in the 1930s to avoid Nazi persecution (her maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother were Jewish). Her father's uncle was the artist Heinrich Zille. She was educated at Johannesburg's St Mary's School, Waverley and the University of the Witwatersrand, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree.

She married Professor Johann Maree in 1982, and they have two sons, Paul (born in 1984) and Thomas (1989). She is a member of the Rondebosch United Church in Cape Town.^[12]

Political journalism[link]

Zille began her career as a political correspondent for the Rand Daily Mail in 1974.^[13] During September 1977, Minister of Justice and the Police J.T. Kruger announced that anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko had died in prison as the result of an extended hunger strike. Zille and her editor Allister Sparks were convinced Kruger's story was a cover-up, and Zille obtained concrete proof of this after tracking down and interviewing various doctors involved in the case.^[6]

The Rand Daily Mail's lead story, headlined "No sign of hunger strike - Biko doctors", sent shockwaves through South Africa, and Kruger immediately threatened to ban the paper, while Zille received death threats.^[6] Zille and Sparks were represented at the subsequent quasi-judicial Press Council by leading defence lawyer Sydney Kentridge, but the two were nonetheless found guilty of "tendentious reporting", and the paper was forced to issue a "correction". Kentridge later helped confirm the accuracy of Zille's account when he represented the Biko family at the inquest into his death. That inquest found Biko's death had been the result of a serious head injury, but failed to find any individual responsible.^[14]

Zille resigned from the Rand Daily Mail along with editor Allister Sparks, after the paper's owner, Anglo American, demanded that Sparks tone down the paper's equal rights rhetoric.^[15]

Anti-apartheid movement[link]

Zille was heavily involved in the Black Sash movement during the 1980s. She served on the regional and national executives of the organisation, and was also vice-chair of the End Conscription Campaign in the Western Cape. During this time she was arrested for being in a "group area" without a permit, and received a suspended prison sentence. Zille and her husband later offered their home as a safe house for political activists during the 1986 State of Emergency, and she was temporarily forced into hiding with their two-year-old son.^[7] She knew and was mentored by anti-apartheid figurehead Harry Schwarz since she was a child.^[16]

Zille was also actively involved in the South Africa Beyond Apartheid Project and the Cape Town Peace Committee. She later gathered evidence for the Goldstone Commission which investigated attempts to destabilise the Western Cape before the elections in 1994.

Education policy work[link]

Zille formed a public policy consultancy in 1989 and in 1993 she was offered the position of Director of Development and Public Affairs at the University of Cape Town. During this time Zille also chaired the governing body of Grove Primary School, and in 1996 led a successful challenge against government policy limiting governing bodies' powers to appoint staff.^[17]

Zille was then invited by the then Democratic Party to write a draft policy for Education in the Western Cape. In 1999 she became a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature, and was appointed MEC for Education.^[18]

In 2004 Zille became a Member of Parliament with the Democratic Alliance (DA). Within the DA she rose to the level of deputy federal chairperson and served as national party spokesperson and spokesperson for education.

Mayoralty[link]

2006 municipal elections and aftermath[link]

In the 2006 municipal elections, the DA became the single largest party in Cape Town with 42% of the vote, ahead of the African National Congress (ANC). Zille was elected mayor by 106 votes to 103 on 15 March 2006, after the DA obtained the support of several smaller parties.

After assuming office, Zille's multi-party government decided to revoke the appointment of the Cape Town City Manager, Wallace Mgoqi, whose term of appointment had been controversially extended by the outgoing ANC executive mayor, Nomaindia Mfeketo.^[19] Zille's decision was upheld by the High Court which ruled that the extension of Mgoqi's appointment by the previous mayor had been unlawful.

Zille has faced considerable opposition and confrontation with the ANC. In September 2006, the provincial ANC MEC Richard Dyantyi, announced he planned to replace the city's political system. Dyantyi wanted to impose an executive committee system, changing the mayoral committee system. The move would have resulted in Zille being stripped of her executive mayoral powers and her power considerably reduced.

Under this policy, the winning party would not be able to assign every one of the ten seats — rather these would be allocated on a proportional representation basis.^[20] The matter was later resolved, with Dyanti and Zille settling on the terms of retaining the current mayoral system whilst the ANC was provided with two additional sub-committees in areas of the city controlled by the ANC.^[21]

Issues[link]

Zille's commitments as mayor included Cape Town's role as a designated host city for the 2010 World Cup, as well as the construction and financing of the Cape Town Stadium, which hosted 8 FIFA World Cup football matches in 2010.^[22]

A particular concern of Zille was the problem of drug abuse in Cape Town, particularly crystal methamphetamine (tik) abuse. She called for the promotion of drug rehabilitation centres and further funding from the government to battle drug abuse, and met with local communities to discuss the issue.^[23]

Zille objected to plans to incorporate the metro police into the broader police service, arguing that such a move would remove considerable power from local government and vest more control in the hands of the National Police Commissioner at the time, Jackie Selebi,^[24] who was later convicted of corruption.^[25]

Achievements[link]

Economic growth and employment[link]

As mayor, Zille presided over rapid growth and development in the City of Cape Town. Gross geographic product (GGP) increased by over 12% - from R116.6 billion in 2005 under the ANC, to R130.77 billion in 2007 - two years into her tenure. During this time the official unemployment rate also declined from 20.7% to 17.9%.^[26]

Under Zille, the city's debt was also cut by nearly R1 billion, which allowed capital for service delivery to be increased by 15%.^[26]

Crime and urban renewal[link]

Crime declined by 90% in the city's CBD over a period of five years, which Zille attributed to collaboration between the police service, metro police and the Cape Town Partnership.^[27]

Housing and service delivery[link]

Though provincial rather than local government is tasked with housing delivery, Zille claimed that her municipality's efforts to reform housing lists and improve verification processes also allowed housing delivery to be increased from 3000 units per annum under the ANC, to 7000 units per annum between 2006 and 2008 under her administration as mayor.^[26]

In an article entitled "The ANC is pro-poverty not pro-poor" published shortly before the 2009 general election, Zille pointed out that under the ANC administration no budget allocation existed for upgrading informal settlements, while in 2007 her own administration set up a dedicated budget for provision of water, electricity and sanitation. In addition to maintaining existing water and electricity subsidies, Zille also raised the subsidies on the indigent database, and ensured that electricity was supplied to informal settlements that Eskom refused to electrify, such as Happy Valley and Site B Khayelitsha.^[28]

DA Leader[link]

Election[link]

On 15 March 2007, Zille declared herself a candidate to succeed outgoing leader of the Democratic Alliance, Tony Leon. A favourite from the start, with backing from the Western Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, the Free State and even the Eastern Cape (regarded during much of the build-up as the stronghold of main rival Athol Trollip),^[29] she was elected as the new leader by a large majority on 6 May 2007. She indicated that she would lead the party from outside Parliament, while continuing in her position as executive mayor of Cape Town.

Issues[link]

Since becoming leader of the Democratic Alliance, Zille has challenged the ruling government on a number of issues.

Crime[link]

Of particular concern to Zille was the government's response^[30] to alarming crime statistics released in July 2007. She has accused the government of rewarding criminals by placing individuals convicted of serious crimes high up on their national parliamentary lists.^[31] Zille has said that the DA would reinstate child protection units, the South African Narcotics Bureau and the Scorpions unit, all of which have been disbanded.^[32]

In August 2008, Zille announced proposals to boost the size of the police force to 250 000, employ an additional 30 000 detectives, improve detention programmes and use of information technology, and radically overhaul the justice system. She also said the party's comprehensive new crime plan would include provisions for a Victims of Crime Fund.^[33]

Health[link]

Zille has warned against the controversial National Health Amendment Bill, legislation allowing greater state intervention in private health care. She has warned that the state will destroy the system, that is rated as the fifth best of its kind in the world.^{[by whom?]} She outlined the possibility that the Bill could drive away thousands of skilled medical professionals.^[34] Together with her political party, she proposed an alternative health plan, for the privatisation of state healthcare.^[35]

Judicial independence[link]

As DA leader, Zille has also frequently questioned judicial independence in South Africa, in light of the alleged behaviour of the Cape judge president John Hlophe in trying to influence the Constitutional Court judges to rule in favour of ANC president Jacob Zuma. She also cited racism directed towards those in the judiciary, and has criticised the perceived double standards vocally:

On Hlophe she said:

Zimbabwe[link]

Zille has also publicly denounced the Zimbabwean regime, calling for President Thabo Mbeki to abandon his 'quiet diplomacy' policy and take a tougher stance towards the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe. She has called for the South African president to publicly acknowledge that the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe is illegal and illegitimate; to sever all formal diplomatic ties with Zimbabwe and withdraw all diplomatic representatives; to impose smart sanctions on the Zanu-PF elite, including travel bans to South Africa and the freezing of all South African assets linked to Mugabe and Zanu-PF; and to lobby for the suspension of Zimbabwe from the United Nations, the African Union and the South African Development Community.^[38]

Political debate[link]

In June 2008, she challenged the president of the ANC and the 2009 presidential candidate, Jacob Zuma to a public debate on ten key issues such as the arms deal, disbanding of the Scorpions, the situation in Zimbabwe, HIV/Aids and labour legislation.^[39][40] Zuma has since declined to participate. She has since requested a public debate again:

Campaign against drug and alcohol abuse[link]

Eight members of a group called the People's Anti-Drug and Liquor Action Committee (PADLAC) were arrested on Sunday 9 September 2007 outside the Mitchell's Plain police station. Zille was then arrested when she visited the police station to investigate. The group had been distributing pamphlets in the campaign against the abuse of alcohol and drugs in Cape Town. Police have alleged that she supports vigilante groups opposed to drug abuse. She appeared in the Mitchell's Plain Magistrates Court later that week for contravening the Regulation of Gatherings Act. Zille is expected to sue the Minister of Police for wrongful arrest.^[43] On Tuesday 11 September 2007 Zille appeared briefly before the Mitchell's Plain Magistrates Court together with a group of ten persons who had been arrested with her.^[44]

On Sunday 30 September 2007 it was reported that senior intelligence sources, who were unhappy with the ANC's plans to subvert state institutions to do ANC bidding, had leaked information to Zille that operatives with weapons were infiltrating PADLAC with the ultimate objective of bringing down the leader of the opposition.^[45] On 23 October 2007, Zille was acquitted of all charges brought before the Mitchell's Plain Magistrates Court on the grounds that the prosecution's case against her and nine other defendants did not stand a chance of succeeding. Zille has reiterated her intention to sue the South African Police Services (SAPS) branch in the Western Cape for wrongful arrest.^[46]

On 8 March 2008, Helen Zille took her anti-drugs campaign to Johannesburg, leading a protest march. Marchers wore DA t-shirts, bearing the message No to drugs and save our children.^[47]

United Nations[link]

In April 2008, Zille was asked to address the UN in New York on population and development, offering her experience and lessons as mayor of Cape Town.^[48]

World Mayor award[link]

Zille was nominated as one of 820 world mayors and was winner of the 2008 World Mayor award in October 2008.^[49]

There was controversy when the ruling ANC used its majority in the National Assembly to block (without notice) a motion by the Democratic Alliance acknowledging Zille's achievement in winning the 2008 World Mayor award.^[50]

Premier of the Western Cape[link]

2009 election[link]

The 2009 general elections presented Zille with her first major electoral contest as leader of the DA. She was selected as candidate for Premier of the Western Cape, and her party succeeded in winning a 51.23 percent of the province's vote. Zille was installed as Premier, and replaced as mayor by Dan Plato. Nationally, the DA gained significant ground as official opposition, winning 16.66 percent of the vote, and increasing its tally of seats in both houses of Parliament to 77.

Row with Jacob Zuma[link]

In May 2009, shortly after being elected Premier, Zille wrote a letter to the Cape Argus newspaper that was accidentally copied by her spokesperson to the left-wing Sowetan newspaper.^[51] Responding to criticism from gender lobby groups and the ANC over her all-male provincial cabinet, Zille stated in the letter that the ANC had never even been led by a woman, and that its leaders set bad examples on gender issues. She cited South African President Jacob Zuma's "deeply sexist views", accused him of being a "womaniser", and condemned him for putting "all his wives at risk of contracting HIV" by having unprotected sex with an HIV positive woman. Zuma, a polygamist, admitted in his rape trial that he had known that the woman with whom he had had sex was HIV positive.^[52]

Zille's condemnation of Zuma's behaviour was then used by the Sowetan as the basis of a front page story entitled "Zuma an AIDS risk". The paper stated that Zille had "launched an extraordinary new attack" on Zuma.^[53] This heralded a wave of attacks on Zille from both the ANC and a number of its left-wing alliance partners. The ANC Youth League claimed Zille was racist, and that her all-male cabinet consisted of "boyfriends and concubines so that she can continue to sleep around with them". The claim, made without substantiation, drew the ire of the DA, who are in the process of consulting their lawyers over a possible defamation suit.^[54] The Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association restated the Youth League's sex claims, and warned it would launch "a political programme aimed at rendering the Western Cape ungovernable".^[55] The ANC also criticised Zille, but distanced itself from the remarks of its Youth League, stating that they were "deeply embarrassing".^[56] In response, Zille claimed that the Sowetan and other publications had manufactured the row, and given off the impression that both sides had been spoiling for a fight, even though she had done nothing more than write a factual letter to a newspaper. She also claimed that the whole row exemplified South Africa's warped approach to gender issues:

Land dispute[link]

In May 2009, Zille accused the ANC of asset-stripping. She related to the transfer of 1 000 hectares of provincial land in the Western Cape to a national body. The transfer was signed off by the former premier Lynne Brown on 21 April 2009, the day before the national elections. Zille has alleged that the deal was done "secretly, in bad faith and with an ulterior motive". The ANC responded by claiming that the land deal had been publicly tabled in Parliament several times over the years and there was nothing sinister about it.^[58] Zille later said that she would call for a review and rescindment of the agreement and would lodge a dispute at an intergovernmental relations meeting,^[59] but the matter was resolved in January 2010, when the ANC's Minister of Human Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, agreed to return the land to the province before the matter could be taken to court.^[60]

2011 municipal elections[link]

Shortly after securing the Premiership of the Western Cape, Zille mentioned that her party's preparations for the 2011 local government elections would begin immediately. Following its success in Cape Town, the Democratic Alliance had aimed to lead a multi-party coalition to victory in other cities in the country, including Pretoria, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Ekurhuleni.^[61][62][63]

Controversies[link]

2008 xenophobic violence[link]

In May 2008, there was controversy surrounding the management of xenophobic violence against foreigners. People displaced from their homes were first accommodated in community halls and churches for several weeks. After attempts at re-integrating people into their communities failed, the City of Cape Town made available several holiday camping sites and army bases available to house refugees. At an unbudgeted cost of over R100-million, the City provided shelter, sanitation, health services and food, assisted by several NGOs. The UN High Commission for Refugees was unable to provide any material assistance. Some criticised the conversion of the holiday accommodation, even going so far as describing the sites as "internment camps". But it was telling that, when the City attempted to move those living there back into their communities, many resisted this move, preferring to stay with the safety and services in the holiday venues.

Criminalisation of deliberately spreading HIV with multiple partners[link]

The Cape Argus of 9 November 2011 reported that, while addressing a wellness summit hosted by the Western Cape Health department, Zille had called for irresponsible men who refused to use condoms and had multiple sexual partners, to be charged with attempted murder, and for Government to shift its focus from the treatment to the prevention of diseases. Some AIDS activists warned against such a move, arguing that this would provide an incentive for people not to get tested for HIV, and called Zille's remarks "careless and misleading."^[64] Among those who criticized Zille's position was the polemicist blogger Pierre de Vos.^[65] Zille's views on the matter were fully set out in her own newsletter.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Helen Zille winner of the 2008 World Mayor Prize
• Helen Zille's blog
• Helen Zille's interactive social media profile at Zoopy.com
• City Mayors profile
• City Mayors profile Español
• Quotes about Cape Town's mayoral system
• Zille voted Newsmaker of the year
• CapeInfo interview with Helen Zille
• Interview with Helen Zille at metkere.com

v t e Current Premiers of provinces of South Africa     EC: Noxolo Kiviet FS: Ace Magashule GT: Nomvula Mokonyane KZN: Zweli Mkhize LP: Cassel Mathale ML: David Mabuza NW: Thandi Modise NC: Hazel Jenkins WC: Helen Zille