A vicious war of words has broken out in South Africa in a row that has brought the country’s volatile politics of gender and race to the surface.
South African President Jacob Zuma, who was sworn in last weekend, stands accused by Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille of putting his three wives at risk of contracting HIV.
Her description of Zuma as sexist was countered by a charge of racism from the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League, expressed in even more florid language that derided her for talking “hogwash.”
Zille, the leader of the opposition and Western Cape premier, questioned Zuma’s moral fitness to lead the country by referring to an incident in which he had sex with an HIV-positive woman. He was accused of rape but cleared.
Zille was quoted by the Sowetan newspaper as saying: “Zuma is a self-confessed womanizer with deeply sexist views, who put all his wives at risk by having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman.”
The ANC Youth League on Wednesday returned fire, criticizing Zille, who is white, for picking an all-male executive team in the Western Cape, the only province to vote against the ANC in the election.
The Youth League said it was “disgusted by remarks attributed to the racist girl Helen Zille, who when failing to defend her stupid and sexist decision to appoint predominantly white males into her Cabinet, attacks the president of the republic of South Africa.”
It threatened “militant action,” adding: “The fake racist girl who was dropped on a head as child should understand that South Africa will never be a Mickey Mouse republic like she wants to portray it [sic].”
The ANC joined the criticism, albeit in more measured terms, saying it was “astounded” by Zille’s remarks.
“Even by Zille’s standards of personal invective, this latest attack is an unprecedented example of Zuma-hate. Zille’s outburst is deeply offensive,” ANC spokeswoman Jessie Duarte said.
Zille’s comments reportedly came in response to criticism from the Congress of South African Trade Unions, which has said it will challenge the Western Cape premier’s all-male Cabinet in the national equality court.
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