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By Hein Kaiser

Journalist


East Rand earthquake shakes funny bones

The 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit the Gauteng province at approximately 2:38am early on Sunday morning jolting people awake


The East Rand earthquake had social media all shook up, and while many felt that the end of the world happened in less than sixty seconds, others turned to humour to cope, and let rip on TikTok and Twitter.

The earthquake measured almost 5 on the Richter scale and rocked Gauteng’s East Rand on Sunday morning.

First, it was about the rapture. It was a fifty seven seconds of the end of the world. One tweet read, sardonically: “What if the #earthquake was God fetching his people and he left us behind to tweet about it”, and others followed suit .

ALSO READ: Powerful earthquake hits large parts of Gauteng

A Boksburg resident posted on a local community group that she thought it was all over and that the end of the world had come. Dimakatso Bafeti posted: “I thought it was over. I really thought we were dying. I was wide awake when it happened as I was praying. Still shaking in disbelief.”

@ikhokw

Was anyone else asleep coz i didnt feel a thing 😭😭😭. #ikhokw #tiktoksouthafrica #earthquake

♬ original sound – Ikho

“Our government will spend R1Billion to investigate this tremor…phela comrades must eat..” That was the first of the batch of jokes and sardonic commentary from Mzansi. President Cyril Ramaphosa did not come off lightly.

Even Thabo Bester made it to the funnies… along with Minister Fix It…

Carte Blanche presenter Claire Mawisa called it early:

And while several posts started making fun of our corrupt state, others focused on the nerves. It all about the shake and the sweat. Fear, at the butt end of the joke.

@simo_ziqubu

Gagaga gagaga gagaga 💀 #joburg #earthquake

♬ original sound – FreshmenAmapiano

Transnet’s Carlton Centre, 50th floor neon lit up in a different lexicon after the quake, with letters fused on the fiftieth floor to resemble something much other than its brand name.

For a leftfield take on the earthquake, some posts dealt with dry seasons when it came to naughty stuff between the sheets. It wasn’t just abut the earth shaking, but also about shaking a bit of leg.. For some natural pleasure courtesy of nature where a bit of shake, rattle and roll’s nightcapped the evening.

@hlangy_

Earthquake and cuddle?😂

♬ original sound – int_jayone

This while Jacob Zuma also enjoyed temporary relevance.

Of course there are the brave, who said that they slept right through the shaker.

ALSO READ: No deaths reported after 4.4 magnitude earthquake shakes Gauteng

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