Tito Mboweni riles Twitter with his ‘Johann Rupert connection’ [photo]
Whether he’s mangling his dinner, or letting us have a look around his dagga plants, Tito Mboweni isn’t shy when it comes to being himself on Twitter. However, the Finance Minister has a habit of ‘irritating’ users with his online behaviour – and thanks to his ties with Johann Rupert, we’ve been treated to another Tito-Tweeting masterclass this week.
Tito Mboweni Tweets his way into trouble once more
It started on Thursday, when Minister Mboweni was reacting to claims that Nelson Mandela had ‘sold out’ South Africa when negotiating the end of apartheid. Tito reacted, saying that most white South Africans ‘did not embrace non-racialism’:
“One of the fundamental political questions we had to deal with during the struggle against apartheid (not white people but the system), was how to build a democratic, non-racial South Africa. That dream is as relevant today as it was before. The disappointment, though, is that the majority (not all) of white people have not embraced non-racialism.”
“They have not accepted the olive branch offered by the ANC. They remain caught up in the ‘white supremacy’ mentality. Sad. I deal with this everyday. South Africans take this non-racialism thing for granted. There is a detailed theoretical, basis for our negotiated settlement. We were not fools or sellouts! We had to negotiate… just to get here!”
Tito Mboweni and Johann Rupert – peas in a pod?
Mboweni didn’t just settle for ruffling feathers, though. He came back to pluck the whole chicken. Understanding that his comments had riled the Twitter community, he returned with a Johann Rupert-inspired bit of shithousery.
The minister posted a photo of him receiving a doctorate from one of SA’s richest citizens, who has served as Stellenbosch University’s Chancellor. Johann Rupert is a target of criticism from some South Africans, due to his large personal fortune and his perceived role in ‘establishing white monopoly capital’. In any case, Tito Mboweni went back in to wind them up:
Just to irritate THOSE PEOPLE. My honorary PhD at Stellies. The Chancellor is Johan Rupert!
— Tito Mboweni (@tito_mboweni) February 11, 2021pic.twitter.com/cbEC9bfsaN
- – Ekurhuleni’s Executive Mayor, Mzwandile Masina, spoke on behalf of the triggered community…
You really know how to irritate the Nation
— Mzwandile Masina (@mzwandileMasina) February 11, 2021
The minister’s doctorate
Mboweni was awarded his doctorate from Stellies in 2010 – earning himself a glowing commendation in the process:
“Tito Mboweni received an honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University, for his leadership in South Africa’s economic policy, his eminent achievements as president of the Reserve Bank, and his reform of the labour legislation in South Africa and the resultant transformation of the labour market, overturning decades of discriminatory rules and practices.”
“Tito Mboweni has played a leading role in reshaping the South African economy. The Reserve Bank under Governor Mboweni became significantly more predictable and transparent – a critical outcome in a new democratic dispensation.”
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