Zille is not a true paragon

IF YOU see DA leader Helen Zille frothing at the mouth at this or that ANC indiscretion, you'd be forgiven to think, given the chance, she'd do better.

The truth is that when she's on such a moral high horse she's merely playing opposition politics. She's no different from the corrupt culprits in the ruling party whose behaviour she'd be decrying at the time.

It has become DA-speak to implore office bearers to ensure that public finances are responsibly managed at all times. This is in the DNA of Ms Zille and her ilk.

But it has just emerged that the selfsame Zille has shelled out a hefty R2 million to buy airtime on a local radio station, Heart FM, to field calls from her supporters. This would not have bothered us had it been money from her party coffers but the truth is her narcissism has indeed hit the taxpayer where it hurts most -- in the pocket.

We share the disgust of the provincial Cosatu office at the premier's reluctance to make available the procurement documents around the deal. We concur with their view that this intransigence on Zille's part "violates the rights of citizens to disclosure of information and transparency required by good governance".

Cosatu has a point that a lot could have been done for the provincial citizenry with that kind of money. It could not only have funded decent, sheltered toilets for the community but equipped needy schools with requisite resources.

This is corrupt, wasteful expenditure, a misdeed Zille would want us all to believe is a peculiarly ANC trait.