The African National Congress (ANC) in the Western Cape on Sunday called for the immediate resignation former Democratic Alliance (DA) party leader and Western Cape premier, Helen Zille.

"She has... humiliated the province and its people with her continuous Twitter attack on people of colour," ANC Western Cape acting chairperson, Khaya Magaxa, said in a statement.

"Her public fightback, playing the race card and even tainting her party as anti-white has dragged her, her party and the Western Cape to a shameful low pointy," Magaxa said.

Magaxa said Zille's comments had not only divided her party but has also divided citizens.

On Saturday, DA leader Mmusi Maimane announced that Zille was suspended from all party activities following her controversial tweets about colonialism.

Disciplinary proceedings

He said that it has become evident that he and Zille held fundamentally different attitudes about the mission the DA must accomplish in 2019.

"I asked her to tender an unreserved apology to both South Africa and the DA for the damage she has done. Unfortunately, she declined," Maimane said.

But soon after the announcement Zille hit back saying that it was not true that she had not apologised and that her suspension did not comply with the requirements of section 3.6.3 of the DA's federal constitution, which required that she be given time to make representations on the matter.

Zille further said that chairperson of the executive, James Selfe had told her that she had until June 6 to make representations before her suspension could come into effect.

In an about turn, the DA later sent a statement saying that the DA Federal Executive had written to Zille to signify its intention to temporarily suspend her from party activities until the conclusion of the disciplinary proceedings instituted against her.

"We have given Helen Zille the opportunity to indicate to us why she should not be suspended," the statement read.

"The notice calling for representations on suspension has already been served and requires any representations to be made within 72 hours.

"The final decision of the DA Federal Executive regarding whether to suspend Helen Zille will be made once any such representations have been made and considered."