Viasen Soobramoney, CEO of the IOL platform, and Adri Senekal De Wet, Editor-in-Chief of Independent Media. Picture: Screengrab
The Independent Media Group has apologised to the man it accused of being behind the Goolam social media account known for criticising politicians.
Independent Media, which claims it has been investigating the controversial account, held a media briefing with veteran African National Congress (ANC) member Lindiwe Sisulu in Cape Town on Monday where it claimed that Mohammed Yacoob Vawda was behind the @Goolammv account on X (formerly Twitter).
However, Vawda, a lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a part-time comedian, through his lawyer Rupert Candy Attorneys, denied that he is behind the Goolam handle.
Vawda demanded an apology from the media group and Sisulu, failing which his attorneys would institute urgent application proceedings against the duo.
In a video message on X, Viasen Soobramoney, Chief Executive Officer of the IOL platform, addressed what he called “an earlier mistake in the investigation” that was presented on Monday.
“Initially, our investigations identified two individuals linked to the @Goolammv X account, both named Mohammed Vawda. However, during the press conference, a technical error occurred in that the wrong profile was shared with our content teams and the public,” Soobramoney said.
“This error resulted in the inadvertent and incorrect identification of a UKZN lecturer and comedian as the person behind the account. For this, we unreservedly apologise to Mohamed Yacoob Vawda, his family and friends, our fellow reporters, and to the South African public.”
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Soobramoney added that as CEO of the IOL platform, he will be taking “concrete steps” to ensure that such an oversight does not occur again.
“Both IOL and Independent Media deeply regret the error. As responsible media outlets, we have taken the necessary steps to correct the information that was published. We have also attempted to reach out to Mohamed Yacoob Vawda, the university lecturer and comedian, to convey a personal apology to him.”
However, Soobramoney, revealed the name of another person who may be behind the Goolam MV account.
“We have established the phone number linked to the @Goolammv account ending with 561. We have established the email addresses linked to the @Goolammv account. We have linked Goolam Mohammed Sulieman Vawda to properties in Winterton and Morningside in KwaZulu-Natal and Tshwane in Gauteng.
“Efforts have been made to obtain comment from the individual identified behind the @Goolammv account, being Mr Goolam Mohammed Sulieman Vawda, prior to publishing this statement. We have subsequently instructed our attorneys to go ahead with legal proceedings against Goolam Mohammed Sulieman Vawda,” said Soobramoney.
Adri Senekal De Wet, editor-in-chief of Independent Media, painted a grim picture of Goolam Mohammed Sulieman Vawda.
“Vawda has a history of switching political allegiances, having been a fervent supporter of Jacob Zuma, later shifting his support to Cyril Ramaphosa, and now aligning with the DA/ANC GNU. @Goolammv tweets are often retweeted by troll accounts and a sophisticated bot network.
“He has access to sensitive information, including ministerial appointments. Vawda has collaborated with other media houses and social media accounts and has maintained relationships with senior ANC and DA officials,” De Wet said.
Once again, there was no evidence provided to back up these claims.
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