Zille and Zuma in new clash.

28 May, 2009

Helen Zille, Western Cape premier and leader of the official opposition party Democratic Alliance (DA), has got into another row with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of president Jacob Zuma, this time over the timing of her first formal address to the newly elected provincial parliament.

The former mayor of Cape Town is scheduled to speak to the 42-member assembly on 29 May six days before Zuma makes his first State of the Nation address on 3 June. Zille has defended her decision to speak before Zuma on the grounds that the provincial legislature needs to begin work as soon as possible in order to adopt its budget before the end of June. However, convention holds that provincial premiers wait until after the State of the Nation address in order to