Zille has come under fire for cancelling the Western Cape government's subscription to the Cape Times, which she has also said contains poor reporting. This was after her weekend newsletter, in which she slammed its reporting.

This was the twar between the two on Tuesday.

a) This is not about your right to hold & argue your view strongly. It is also NOT about endorsing unethical or poor journalism.

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

b) There are institutions that force media to retract and publish apologies. You have used them before. No media should remain unchallenged

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

c) @helenzille in fact media houses often report on each other's "misfortunes" as per spat M&GvsIOL, Primedia vs Sunday Times etc. So the

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

@RediTlhabi What has all this to do with the simple decision not to renew a subscription? We don't have to be subscribers to use Ombudsman.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) March 17, 2015

@helenzille Impossible. Read tweet.I said I will respond in few tweets,indicate conclusion, then hear u out. But u won't even pause to hear

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

@helenzille "listen" for a second. To the whole argument and I will sit back and listen to your whole argument . Simple.

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

@RediTlhabi I've listened, but when are you going explain why we cannot take a decision not to renew a subscription? Listening carefully.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) March 17, 2015

e) @helenzille problematic for politicians to be arbiters of what is "good or bad" journalism. Cost cutting must involve ALL subscriptions

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

@RediTlhabi We can't half subscribe to ALL newspapers to save money. And, what is subjective about plagiarism? Or repeated errors of fact?

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) March 17, 2015

f) @helenzille this is not just a consumer choice. Ditching service provider cos it's poor is not same as binary of politics and media. ..

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

@RediTlhabi Now you are losing me completely. Why is the Cape Times plagiarism not the scandal here?

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) March 17, 2015

g) @helenzille media writes about politics & products don't have same relationship with subscribers.They don't write or speak about them

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

h) @helenzille so a politician's or government decision on media is more nuanced than supplier /customer relationship.

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

i) @helenzille inaccurate and false reporting should be challenged and isolated using many available channels. And you good at that.

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

@RediTlhabi Not renewing a subscription is ONE of those channels. And it doesn't mean we can't still use the others.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) March 17, 2015

j) @helenzille there is obviously difference between advertising, boycotting & cancelling subscriptions. End result is same-hit bottom line

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

k) @helenzille Similarly pushing particular publication for its views (New Age &ANC) is as problematic as cancelling another for the same

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

l) @helenzille I am done. Looking foward to your argument

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) March 17, 2015

@RediTlhabi As you know, this has nothing to do with Cape Times' "views". They disagreed with us for years. It is about facts and ethics.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) March 17, 2015

@RantleM@RediTlhabi No paper has any "right" to a circulation or advertising. They have to earn it through building readership. Simple.

— Helen Zille (@helenzille) March 17, 2015