Helen Zille Biography: Age, Net Worth, Apartheid, House, Daughter, Husband, Education, Family & Contact Details

Basic Information
Stage Name:	Helen Zille
Real Name:	Otta Helene Maree
Occupation:	Politician, Legislator, Activist
Date Of Birth/Age:	9 March 1951 (72 Years Old
Place of Birth:	Johannesburg, Traansval, Union of South Africa
Gender:	Female
Nationality:	South African
Marital Status:	Johann Maree (m. 1982)
Education:	St. Mary’s School, Waverley University of Witwatersrand

Biography

Otta Helene Maree, popular as Helen Zille, is a South African politician. Since 20 October 2019, she has served as the Chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance. Helen served for two five-year terms as the Premier of the Western Cape province from 2009 to 2019. She was also a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. From 2007 to 2015, Helen served as the Federal Leader of the Democratic Alliance. She also served as the Mayor of Cape Town from 2006 to 2009.

Helen was a journalist and anti-apartheid activist. While working at Rand Daily Mail in the late 90s, she was one of the journalists who exposed the cover-up surrounding the death of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko. In 2008, she was selected “World Mayor of the Year.” In July 2007, the National Press Club selected her as the Newsmaker of the Year 2006. She joined the South African Institute of Race Relations as a senior policy fellow in July 2019. She began her podcast, Tea With Helen, in August 2019. After declaring her candidacy for the Federal Council Chairperson of the DA in October 2019, she won the election.

Her published works include “Not Without A Fight” and “#StayWoke: Go Broke: Why South Africa won’t survive America’s culture wars (and what you can do about it).”

Age

Helen Zille was born in Johannesburg, Traansval, Union of South Africa, on the 9th of March in 1951. She celebrated her 71st birthday in March 2022.

Net Worth

The exact net worth of Helen Zille is unknown to the general public. She once confessed that she does not have much money because it has never been her motivator. She said, “I certainly don’t have lots of money. It’s never been a motivator for me.” She also said, “I try to save as much as I can… My earliest memory of money is collecting empty bottles for the deposit.” “I am not particularly excited about money.” Helen has had a lot of success as a politician.

Apartheid

In June 2020, Helen tweeted, “There are more racist laws today than there were under apartheid.” She also tweeted that if former President F.W. de Klerk had not decided to dismantle apartheid, the ANC “would still be bogged down in the mess of its so-called liberation camps and infighting” because they “had no viable armed struggle to speak of.” It prompted the Federal Legal Commission of the DA to launch an investigation into her comments.

House

Helen Zille has stated often that she isn’t motivated by money. However, she said, “We own a house in Rosebank in Cape Town,” but did not share many details about the house.

Daughter

Helen Zille does not have a daughter. She once came under fire on Twitter after sharing a photo of her black granddaughter Nceba with the caption, “Load-shedding won’t stop Nceba and me from cooking up a storm. That little solar light works a bomb.” The photo prompted rude replies from Tweeps referencing slavery, colonialism, and apartheid. Responding to them, she announced that the insults her granddaughter received made her decide to delete her Twitter account.

Husband

Helen Zille is married to Professor Johann Maree. The couple has been married since 1982. Helen stated that her husband is more frugal than she is and has banned her from shopping. She also stated that her husband handles their investments, saying, “don’t know much about investing… My husband looks after all of that.”

Education

Helen Zille grew up in Rivonia and attended St. Mary’s School, Waverley, in Johannesburg. Later, she went to the University of Witwatersrand and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Family

Helen and her husband Johann are blessed with two sons. While she is one of the most outspoken politicians in the country, her family prefers to steer clear of the public eye. There is no known information about them. They attend the Rondebosch United Church in Cape Town.

Contact Details

Twitter was formerly the primary source of news on Helen Zille. She had over 1.4 million followers on the platform. Her tweets created headlines and brought about conversations on various topics plaguing the country. It also brought so much controversy around her. She closed down her Twitter account after her granddaughter, Nceba, was bullied on the platform.

She tweeted, “Twitter has degenerated into a platform for irrationality and mob-lynching. Everything that can be distorted and twisted for a hate-filled agenda is used for the purpose of manufacturing outrage and inflicting maximum damage.”