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Why Helen Zille Remains the DA's Most Polarizing Force
Viv Vermaak's profile examines the double standard that keeps Helen Zille central to the DA's identity. The angel or witch dilemma is not a media trope but a real constraint on the party's 2026 election strategy.
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A new profile by Viv Vermaak examines Helen Zille through the lens of a recurring dilemma for women in power: is she an angel or a witch? The framing is not rhetorical. It gets at a structural bias that shapes how the Democratic Alliance (DA) is perceived and how Zille herself has been judged over a political career that spans decades.
The article, published by the Daily Friend, does not treat Zille as a retiring figure. It positions her as the DA's formidable matriarch, a label that carries both respect and the weight of a legacy that divides opinion within the party and across South African politics.
The Angel or Witch Framework
Vermaak's central argument is that society applies a double standard to female leaders. A man who is tough is decisive. A woman who is tough is a witch. A man who builds coalitions is a strategist. A woman who does the same is manipulative. Zille, who served as Premier of the Western Cape and later as DA federal council chairperson, has attracted both descriptions at different points.
The profile does not settle the debate. Instead, it uses the tension to explain why Zille remains a central figure even as the DA tries to broaden its appeal beyond its traditional base. The party's internal struggles over race, economic policy, and coalition strategy all circle back to the institutional and ideological imprint Zille left.