Zille must walk the talk on Max

Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille is treading a very fine line in claiming that Western Cape Community Safety MEC Lennit Max’s alleged extra-marital affair is a private matter and that until allegations of sexual harassment have been proved against him no action can be taken.

In terms of her statement of February 5 2010 Zille claimed, inter alia, the following :

“Today, the ANC again attempted to squash criticism of President Jacob Zuma’s admission that he had extra-marital, unprotected sex, insisting that it is ‘very personal and private’. This is nonsense. When public representatives do things that have public consequences, they must be subject to public scrutiny. It is called accountability. It is the essence of democracy. As the elected president of our republic, Jacob Zuma needs to accept that his behaviour will be held up for public scrutiny. If he doesn’t like this, he is free to resign. It may be justifiable for someone like Tiger Woods to insist that his extra-marital activity is private. What he did has a bearing on nobody but his family and those close to him. Elected leaders, on the other hand, must be held to a higher standard. If their actions contradict their stated public positions (not to mention their government’s policies) they must answer for that. And they must lead by example. If they do not, the public have every right to criticise and hold them accountable.”

Yesterday her response to allegations against Max were as follows :

“An extra-marital affair between consenting adults in private is not a matter that can be regulated by a political party, the state or the media,” Zille said in a statement. If it does not have negative public consequences, such an affair is a private matter that is the concern of the participants, their families, their God and their church.”

In her attempts to distinguish Max from Zuma by claiming that an extra-marital affair between consenting adults which does not have negative public consequences is a private matter Zille is doing herself and the Democratic Alliance a major disservice. Particularly if you read the last paragraph of her February 5 statement quoted above.

Max, the former Western Cape police commissioner and Independent Democrat member who joined the DA, has faced four claims (according to Rapport) of sexual harassment before. In those instances they were withdrawn. He is presently aiming to become the Democratic Alliance’s leader in the Western Cape.

On Thursday he took paid leave after allegations of an extramarital affair with former police clerk Belinda Peterson’s had appeared in Die Kaapse Son on Wednesday. In addition there are claims of advances against two women in his office who Zille claims to have interviewed and who have subsequently denied it.

As a result of the looming provincial congress at which certain voting will take place Zille has deemed an internal probe inappropriate because certain parties with vested interests would want to see Max ousted.

Zille has also pointed out that she selected Max as community safety MEC because of his experience and not his personal life. “I appointed him because of his past expertise in the particular portfolio, and my sense was that his history and his personal history was not [serious] enough for me to exclude him on that basis,” she said.

Accordingly Zille needs to note the following :

Firstly if someone appoints a person as the community safety MEC after allegations of sexual harassment have been made against them, then they run the real risk of having their judgement questioned at a later date. While Max may not be the president of the country he certainly fits into the category of high profile and in her own words elected leaders “must be held to a higher standard. If their actions contradict their stated public positions (not to mention their government’s policies) they must answer for that. And they must lead by example”.

Unless it is going to be suggested that the allegations against Max are not inconsistent with DA policies then a probe into this conduct should be launched by the party immediately. In terms of the concerns being expressed about the congress we need only have regard to her confirmation that “Zuma needs to accept that his behaviour will be held up for public scrutiny. If he doesn’t like this, he is free to resign”.

Max is of sufficient profile to be placed under the same scrutiny by the media and the public and, with all due respect, Zille’s attempt to claim otherwise smacks of hypocrisy of the worst kind.

Either there are the same standards or there aren’t. Pushing square pegs into round holes by trying to distinguish them will only dilute the impact of opposition parties the next time they call upon the government to account.

Secondly at the time when the media and the public were calling upon Zuma to account for his conduct the allegations against the president were yet to be proved. That came later.

Accordingly holding back on the probe in the name of party expedience and calling it a private matter until the allegations are proved is inconsistent and unworthy.

Thirdly the claim that there is no prejudice to the public or inconsistent statements is, with respect, wrong.

Extra-marital affairs by the Western Cape community safety MEC, particularly where they are being denied, goes to credibility, the party concerned’s suitability as a role model, as well as their integrity, which in that position needs to be of the highest order.

In light of the DA leader’s scathing attacks on Zuma and her call for the highest standards to be applied, it is time for her to walk the talk.