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Dear Mlibo Qoboshiyane, it started like this:

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I received a request (Tweet) to ‘talk about’ an Instagram post purportedly by Mlibo Qoboshiyane, MEC of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform.

The image in the tweet contained divisive language and to my mind were not the words that would be used by the MEC.

The post (with 53 likes) on Instagram said; “mlibo_qoboshiyana – Killed by a farmer ( white), and owned by a farmer ( black),reason being that they trespass his land in search of drinking water from a river stream… 4 quality bulls and pregnant heifers totaling to 11 succumb to bullets. The cost / loss is close to R200 000.”

Background to the ‘request’:

On 4 May 2017 the Uitenhage community was up in arms after 11 roaming cattle were shot – eight of them killed – and found on a Kruisrivier farmer’s property.

As reported in The Herald, attempts to speak to the farm owner – whom the community accuses of being responsible for killing and wounding the animals – were unsuccessful as he was said to be in town all afternoon.

Rural Development and Agrarian Reform MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane is reported as slating the senseless killing and urging the SPCA and police to act swiftly in dealing with the matter.

Now my experience of Qoboshiyane is as an erudite and intelligent man NOT a man who would indulge in cheap shots to stir up the Twitterati who constantly scratch in the 140 character sh!t heaps looking for the slightest of slights so that they can be the first to OUT another racial incident.

So I asked for the CONFIRMED Instagram account of the MEC:

“I am having difficulty accepting that @MliboQ actually wrote that as it would be reckless. Do you have a link to his confirmed account?”

The reply was disturbing in the light of the fact that my request was a gentle effort to help my good Twitter friend along the path to confirming that what was written by the MEC were in actual fact HIS WORDS:

“Or you’re in denial…go to that instagram account…whites who defend racism are racist….call out wrong when U see it so we can respect u”

Now I did go to ‘that instagram account’ and still DO NOT believe that the MEC wrote those words for the following reasons:

  • The name attached to the account is Nkomo Mntungwa
  • The spelling of the MEC’s surname differs from official records – Qoboshiyane (official) vs Qoboshiyana (Instagram)
  • The words written are not up to the MEC’s high standards
  • The words written are not signed with the initials MQ. This practise has become customary to be done by public figures on Social Media as a signal that they have written the post and NOT some lackey.
  • There are no similar posts on the MEC’s official Facebook page.
  • The Instagram account images DO NOT appear on the MEC’s Facebook page.
  • The account was created around August 2015 and contains hundreds of images mostly of the MEC – one would think that a politician’s Instagram account would contain mostly ‘outward looking’ images and selfies NOT posed images.
  • The Herald DOES NOT report the words purportedly said by the MEC on the Instagram account referenced – http://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2017/05/05/community-angry-cattle-shot/

Despite my gentle request that ‘Master Ntsiki’ check the sources before indulging in pain and misery I got this message back:

“White ignorance and denial is sad to watch…i must say.”

Even if the Instagram account is the official one of Mlibo Qoboshiyane I would still say that one does not expect an intelligent long standing respected politician such as the MEC to indulge in judging the merits of such an incident before due process has taken place.

In some way I feel that this is an attack on the MEC and his good name more than an expected outing of JaR – Just another Racist!

What those Twits ‘disappointed in me’ do NOT realise is that if/when it is proven that the MEC actualy did NOT say those divisive words that they will be left with egg on their faces.

Mlibo Qoboshiyana
Screen shot of the ‘Mlibo Qoboshiyana‘ Instagram account.
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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.