For years, an X account under the handle Goolam has been exposing, criticising and sometimes insulting politicians. It has since emerged that one of the people behind the account is a lecturer from the University of KwaZulu Natal, while the other person is a woman working in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office in the communication department.

FEARING FOR HIS LIFE

During a media launch of the Unmasking Project by independent media today, Dr. Iqbal Surve, said his publications identified Mohammed Yacoob Vawda and two others, including a woman in the presidency, as the culprits behind the account. Vawda is a lecturer at UKZN and has denied any involvement with the account. Surve also accused Goolam of harassment, defamation, and spreading misinformation online. In a video shared on social media this evening, Vawda said he doesn’t use X and has not done so in over eight years. "I’m not that guy. This is a false allegation and I have nothing to do with it. I’m not involved in politics. This is weird and ridiculous," he said. Vawda said that he fears for his life and that he is scared as he has received death threats. "I am getting threats, and so is my family. I don’t even know the people in politics. I only know the heads of political parties. I have nothing to do with this whole thing," he said.

IRRATIONAL

During the briefing, former Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said she was attacked a number of times by the people behind the account and that it was investigated. "For some time, we tried to track Goolam down, and we found that the person is in the presidency and a woman who handles communications. We had a lot of information. We bugged everybody," she said. She said that she was personally attacked by Goolam when she ran for the ANC presidency. She did not let go. We tried to get Goolam and we were stuck with this particular woman," she added.

Presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said it was irrational for Sisulu to make such claims. "The most rational course of action to take for anyone who is in possession of information implicating Presidency staff in wrongdoing is to provide that evidence to the Director General in the Presidency for further investigation and due process. In this regard, if the former Minister, felt maligned, allegedly by a staff member in the Presidency, she should have furnished that information to the DG. However, such logical action was not followed," Magwenya said.

This afternoon, Goolam tweeted: "I still can’t get over the fact that Iqbal Surve’s side piece, Lindiwe Sisulu, is blaming me for her not being elected ANC president in 2022. She claims my campaign against her lost her the elections. I thought the ANC presidency elections were won and lost in the branches. Iqbal and Lindiwe make me so much more powerful than I really am."