Tito Mboweni VAT increase

CAPE TOWNSOUTH AFRICA, 04MAY11 – Tito Mboweni, Chairman, AngloGold Ashanti, south Africa, during the Lessons from the New Champions session at the World Economic Forum on Africa 2011 held in Cape Town, South Africa, 4-6 May 2011. (WEF Forum / Eric Miller

“Tito Mboweni is a danger to himself on Twitter” – says DA Shadow Minister of Finance

Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni, is at the centre of a social media debacle. Again.

Tito Mboweni VAT increase

CAPE TOWNSOUTH AFRICA, 04MAY11 – Tito Mboweni, Chairman, AngloGold Ashanti, south Africa, during the Lessons from the New Champions session at the World Economic Forum on Africa 2011 held in Cape Town, South Africa, 4-6 May 2011. (WEF Forum / Eric Miller

Eagle-eyed netizens noticed earlier today that Mboweni ‘liked’ a tweet posted by Lindsay Maasdorp, BLF’s spokesperson. The tweet was published two days ago, ahead of Gordhan’s appearance before the Zondo commission.

On 18 November, Maasdorp wrote on the social media platform that “we must never forget those who organised with settlers, sat and plotted with the coloniser and marched arm in arm to defend Pravin Gordhan and to remove President Zuma; all to please Rupert.”

Mboweni’s name showed up as one of the 204 people who like the tweet, but he claims to have no knowledge of every clicking ‘like,’ saying he would never do that to his colleague, Gordhan. He has since ‘unliked’ the offending tweet.

Also read: Tito Mboweni: five things to know about South Africa’s new Finance Minister

Earlier today, DA Shadow Minister of Finance, David Maynier, said in a press release that “Mboweni is a danger to himself on Twitter,” adding the newly appointed Finance minister “comes across as a sophisticated version of Donald Trump posting the first thing that comes to mind.”

Maynier added that National Treasury claims of Mboweni’s account being hacked “is hardly credible,” and that it only “compounds to the embarrassment of the treasury.” Maynier went on:

“The last thing jittery investors need is a finance minister who spends time flirting on social media with stormtroopers who support ‘radical economic transformation.'”

This debacle follows less than two weeks after Mboweni was asked by the DA to “desist” from sharing on Twitter the first thought that pops into his head. Mboweni’s relationship with Twitter controversy is an ongoing source of entertainment.

Back in October, the finance minister asked his audience if he should hand his phone over to government administration to tweet on his behalf.

One of his followers, Jokozela Mtungwa, created a poll to determine whether his Twitter users think Mboweni should stop tweeting himself. Out of the 1,290 votes, 87% said ‘no’, and 10% said ‘yes.’

The remaining 3% voted ‘maybe.’ Another Twitter user said freedom of speech is Mboweni’s right, while Neal Collins added that “President Tito” should stick to his guns.

Also read: Tito Mboweni blasted for his bizzare ‘meltdown’ over SA media