Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni presenting his 2019 Budget Speech during the Plenary of the National Assembly. Photo: Elmond Jiyane/GCIS
Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni presenting his 2019 Budget Speech during the Plenary of the National Assembly. Photo: Elmond Jiyane/GCIS
The Finance Minister is facing D-Day right in the eye, as South Africans brace for impact. The Mid-term budget speech is set to get underway at 14:00 SAST, but we’ve already seen an interesting development from Tito Mboweni’s camp – he has decided to remove himself from Twitter.
Why has Tito Mboweni quit Twitter?
At 1:43 on Wednesday morning – and obviously, with many things on his mind – the cabinet member took to the social media platform to announce his departure. He said he would no longer engage in debates online, and told some home truths about Twitter as a network.
The Tweet itself has been shared thousands of times, and created a huge debate for our night-owls and early risers. Tito Mboweni claimed that the site is now “an abusive platform” which no longer serves its original mandate. According to the ANC stalwart, Twitter is no longer about creating “a networked society”:
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
A method behind the madness
Tito Mboweni may not be a massive loss to the active Twitter community. He hasn’t Tweeted since September, and has only made three posts since early July. However, the timing and the reasoning of his decision should be a cause of concern for us all.
It would appear that the minister may also know something we don’t. His Mid-term budget speech is expected to slash funds left, right and centre as South Africa tries to get a grip of its flailing economy. Tough decisions are on the horizon, and we could be in store for a slew of announcements that upset a few people.
Tito Mboweni may be “expecting the worst” in his budget speech
It looks like Tito Mboweni is pre-empting some sort of backlash. He’s wary of the “abuse” that circulates on Twitter, particularly towards politicians who take unpopular decisions. However, Mboweni is between a rock and a hard place with his own fiscal principles.
As we reported on Tuesday, Tito isn’t afraid to push back against ANC policies he disagrees with. He opposes the nationalisation of the banks, despite that being one of the party’s key resolutions from the 2017 Nasrec Conference. Mboweni could end up riling his fellow comrades, as well as the wider Twitter community – so perhaps a little break from the eternal shouting match is a wise move from the minister.
