Tito Mboweni takes a personal break from ‘abusive’ Twitter

The country’s minister of finance and unofficial minister of recipes, Tito Mboweni, is taking a personal break from Twitter.

In a tweet posted on Wednesday morning, and his first since early September, Mboweni noted that he would no longer “do any original tweets anymore”.

He noted that his issue lies with Twitter itself, calling it an “abusive platform”.

“I came to the conclusion that Twitter is no longer about its original purpose: ie to create a networked society,” he explained.

While he noted that he “might, just might” retweet, he probably won’t be posting his now Twitter-famous cooking tutorials.

After a long thought process, I have decided not to do any original tweets anymore. I might, just might, retweet (not endorsement). I came to the conclusion that Twitter is no longer about its original purpose: ie to create a networked society. It is now an abusive platform.

— Tito Mboweni (@tito_mboweni) October 29, 2019

Mboweni is one of the more followed politicians in South Africa, with in excess of 450 000 followers.

He’s well known for using Twitter as a more personal tool, giving followers access to his world, whether it be his insights into personal growth or his vision for the country. Hot takes are often included, too.

Rock the boat! Shake the baobab tree! Do the unusual, disrupt the comfortable zones. Get things moving. Irritate the Establishment! Let them think! That is how you get Movement forward. This country needs Movement! Disrupt, destruct inertia!

— Tito Mboweni (@tito_mboweni) September 10, 2019

It’s not clear why Mboweni has changed his stance on Twitter, but it’s a big day for the man whether he’s logged in or not.

He’s set to deliver the mini-budget speech in Parliament on Wednesday afternoon, which itself takes place hours before Moody’s makes a decision on the country’s investment grade.

Feature image: Tito Mboweni in 2018, by GovernmentZA via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)