politics Archives

South Africa’s politicians react to Secret Ballot ruling with subtweets
By Andy Walker: Editor on 22 June, 2017
The Secret Ballot (or #SecretBallot) ruling has come and gone but the reaction from politicians are only now filtering through social media. To clarify, Chief Justice Mogoeng has ruled that Baleka Mbete does in fact have power to declare a secret ballot during the motion of no confidence against President Zuma. Previously she cited the law as a limiting factor. For some, this is a clear win for South Africa's justice system, but it also now puts emphasis on Mbete -- she can now declare a secret ballot, or choose not to. As for South Africa's other politicians, the ruling was a...
Dubai the Beloved Country: South Africa responds to #GuptaEmails on Twitter
By Julia Breakey on 29 May, 2017
Yesterday, The Sunday Times and City Press revealed a series of emails between the Gupta family, some of their trusted lieutenants and President Jacob Zuma's son Duduzane that show just how tight the Guptas' grip on South Africa is. Some of the emails show how the Guptas were sent CVs of potential ministers before their appointments, paid for government officials' luxury trips to Dubai, and advised the ANC Youth League on how to respond to media questions. They also revealed President Zuma's desire to make Dubai his "second home," and how he drafted letters to the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and the prime minister of...
‘Sunflower worth more than a human life’: #Coligny trends in South Africa as accused granted bail
By Andy Walker: Editor on 8 May, 2017
#Coligny is the hashtag currently dominating Twitter in South Africa, not #MondayMotivation. The farming town in the North West has for the latter weeks of April, and the early days of May been embroiled in a simmering cultural, racial and judicial showdown. Two farmers, who were accused of killing a 16-year-old boy caught stealing sunflowers from their farm, were granted bail in the region's magistrates court Monday. The boy, who the farmers were reportedly transporting to the police station, allegedly jumped from the bakkie they were travelling in, and broke his neck. Eyewitnesses however suggest that the boy was pushed. The incident...

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John Oliver, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner probably won’t have dinner together soon
By Staff Reporter on 24 April, 2017
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner -- two White House residents that you've probably heard of, but have no idea what they actually do. That's the message the latest episode of John Oliver's Last Week Tonight highlighted this weekend. As President Donald Trump's daughter and son-in-law respectively, Ivanka and Jared have been given fairly significant jobs without actually being elected. They're effectively Donald Trump's shoulder angels, with Ivanka taking a formal "assistant to the president" tag, while Kushner... well, the actual President, it seems. For a man who "can't even get nepotism right", Oliver quips, Donald Trump isn't devoid of criticism in this...
The most Instagram-famous world leader isn’t who you think
By Julia Breakey on 12 April, 2017
When considering world leaders on social media, it's usually Twitter or Facebook that first comes to mind. US President Donald Trump has made waves with his sweeping tweets about foreign policy, and New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English caused an uproar when he put spaghetti and pineapple on his pizza. But over the past five years, world leaders have increasingly decided that Instagram is as worthy a contender for politics as any other platform. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. A recent study by Burson-Marsteller looked at the way politicians around the world communicate via the photo- and video-sharing platform, and the results aren't as predictable...

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15 South African politicians worth following on Twitter [Digital All-Stars]
By Hadlee Simons on 7 April, 2017
Digital All Stars is a series of articles which aims to celebrate the best of South African digital. The articles, which will appear on Memeburn and Ventureburn, recognise and celebrate South Africa’s best digital entrepreneurs, business people, advertisers, and media professionals among others. Social media has evolved rapidly over the past 15 years, becoming an essential tool for many rather than a mere curio. In fact, Twitter has gained a reputation as the leading news and entertainment source for many around the world. With that (and our current political climate) in mind, we take a look at some of the South...

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Friday’s proposed #NationalShutdown gains traction on social media
By Andy Walker: Editor on 5 April, 2017
The past few days in South Africa have been tumultuous to say the least. We haven't seen protests or mass mobilisation from the public (at least not yet anyway), but the country's nearly eight-million Twitter users have seemingly had enough, whichever side of the fence they may stand. #NationalShutdown began trending on Twitter across South Africa at 11am SAST, at the same time the ANC National Working Committee was due to address media regarding leaked minutes from an internal meeting. The ANC labelled this leak as "erroneous communication" late Tuesday evening, which also revealed the party's stance on its leadership structure, its...
Here’s how South Africa’s politicians reacted to Zuma’s #CabinetReshuffle
By Andy Walker: Editor on 31 March, 2017
South Africa and the world woke Friday to an entirely new political landscape forming at the bottom of the continent. Cabinet shuffles rarely happen in South African politics, but when they do, they send shockwaves across the country's social and economic spheres. Among the big moves made by President Jacob Zuma was firing previous finance minister Pravin Gordhan and deputy Mcebisi Jonas. South Africa wasn't too happy about that. But while ordinary citizens have made their views crystal clear on social media, politicians are now also joining in. South Africa's political debate flares on Twitter Bathabile Dlamini has a relatively new Twitter account....

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#UncleKathy: South Africa pays tribute to struggle giant Ahmed Kathrada
By Andy Walker: Editor on 28 March, 2017
Ahmed Kathrada, known as one of Nelson Mandela's closest allies and a defiant anti-apartheid activist, has died aged 87. The news broke on Twitter in the early hours of Tuesday morning, when the Kathrada Foundation tweeted that its namesake "has passed on". Ahmed #Kathrada has passed on. Details to follow. — Kathrada Foundation (@KathradaFound) March 28, 2017 Kathrada, or Uncle Kathy as many referred to him, was born in the North West town of Schweizer-Reneke in 1929. He was imprisoned with Nelson Mandela at Pollsmoor and Robben Island after the Rivonia Trial. He was released in 1990, and served in the Mandela administration. A...
#EFFSoldOut: Twitter blames Guptas for hashtag
By Julia Breakey on 27 March, 2017
There's no denying that in South African politics, Twitter is the EFF's platform. Its leader Julius Malema has 1.3-million followers and engages with them on a regular basis -- compared to President Jacob Zuma of the ANC, who hasn't tweeted since 2013. Exactly, the liberation of the mind is very important pic.twitter.com/9XrxGGeCze — Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) March 21, 2017 And when it comes to popular hashtags, the party's supporters come out in troves to support its politics, often drowning out dissenting voices. This weekend, Black First Land First, the Pan-Africanist party founded by ex-EFF member Andile Mngxitama, started the hashtag #EFFSoldOut. #EFFSoldOut Former...
Helen Zille infuriates Twitter after defending colonialism
By Julia Breakey on 16 March, 2017
Helen Zille may have been on Twitter for a while, but she still hasn't acquired the skill of knowing when to put the phone down and go back to bed. On Thursday morning, the Premier of the Western Cape took to Twitter to let everyone know that not everything about colonialism was bad. For those claiming legacy of colonialism was ONLY negative, think of our independent judiciary, transport infrastructure, piped water etc. — Helen Zille (@helenzille) March 16, 2017 Zille has been in politics a long time. She surely understands the dangers of professing that west is best. She could also do a quick...

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#HandsOffSocialMedia: South Africa responds to social media regulations
By Julia Breakey on 6 March, 2017
In a press briefing yesterday, Minister of State Security David Mahlobo hinted at the possibility of social media regulation in an attempt to counter "false narratives". Mahlobo claimed that instead of bringing people together in a positive way, social media has become a cesspool for negativity, lies and fake news. "Even the best democracies that are revered, regulating . Most of our challenges are coming from that space. We will discuss how we will regulate it," he claimed. For many South Africans, Twitter is a way to let their voices be heard. It can be argued that the democratic system...
Thought #SONA2017 was bad? Watch these international political brawls
By Hadlee Simons on 10 February, 2017
Viewers across South Africa endured what is quickly becoming an annual (yet dramatic) farce in the form of last night's #SONA2017 State of the Nation Address. From a heavy security presence by the ruling party to the EFF's hectoring of President Jacob Zuma, things only went downhill from there. The low point of the night was marked by the EFF's removal from the chamber, making for shocking scenes on television. But, believe it or not, this sort of violence takes place around the world as well -- we look at a few notable videos. Also, be sure to find the bulk...
Weekend News in Tweets: burkini ban overturned & PRASA’s R42m toilet seats
By Staff Reporter on 29 August, 2016
News moves at the speed of social media in today’s world, and that’s especially the case on the weekend. Take a look at the world news you might’ve missed this weekend through the 140-character lens of Twitter. Welcome to the Weekend News on Twitter (26 August – 28 August). South African pilot Michel Leusch was killed Saturday when he lost control of a stunt plane at a Chinese airshow. Durban born, Leusch was performing at the 1st Silk Road International General Aviation Convention in the city of Zhangye, in China's Gansu province. He was 33. South Africa pilot dead in plane crash...
Johannesburg speaker Vasco da Gama already has a Twitter parody account
By Staff Reporter on 22 August, 2016
In the battle for the Johannesburg Metro that took place on Monday, the DA's Vasco da Gama was elected as the City Council speaker. It's a huge change of power for the once-ANC stronghold, and the result itself sent the Johannesburg City Hall into a bit of a frenzy. Elsewhere, the move also sent Twitter into chaos, as people tweeted their views and funny jokes thanks in part to the speaker's rather historical name. But perhaps one Twitter user making particularly good use of the news is the owner of the da Gama parody Twitter account. Yes, I know what you're...