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‘You want to be famous at my expense’ – Mbalula slams journalist who asked about Ukraine tweet
Mbalula’s claims against the journalist has drawn widespread criticism on Twitter.
Fikile Mbalula. Image: Nico Gous
The controversy around Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula’s Ukraine tweet is not dying down.
On Tuesday, Mbalula claimed a journalist who asked him a question about his Ukraine tweet during a press briefing on Monday “wants to be famous at my expense”.
Mbalula on Saturday posted a cryptic tweet about being in Ukraine.
The minister tweeted “Just landed in Ukraine”, after which there was no further thread to the post.
Mbalula has about 2.7 million followers on Twitter, and many couldn’t understand how a public official could be so insensitive regarding the current invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
On the same day, Mbalula also retweeted a post by the Russian Embassy in South Africa claiming it has support among South Africans on its invasion of Ukraine.
While responding to questions during a visit of the Akasia Drivers Licence and Testing Centre (DLTC) in Tshwane on Monday, Mbalula denied he was trivialising the conflict.
“I did not trivialise anything and I won’t comment on that,” he said.
ALSO READ: Mbalula won’t say why he tweeted about ‘landing in Ukraine’
Newzroom Afrika journalist Ziyanda Ngcobo then asked why he refused to comment, adding that Mbalula’s claim of being in Ukraine was posted on a public platform.
The transport minister still refused to comment.
Ngcobo then tweeted her dissatisfaction about Mbalula’s response.
“@MbalulaFikile thinks I’m ‘disruptive’ for probing him as a publicly elected official about a tweet he posted on a public platform, creating confusion and [being] considerably insensitive to what’s happening with the #RussiaUkraineConflict.
On Tuesday morning, the transport minister then responded to Ngcobo by tweeting: “You want to be famous at my expense, do your work and stop chasing shadows.”
Ngobo rebutted Mbalula’s claims with another post telling him to “do better. Act better. Take accountability.”
Mbalula’s response to Ngcobo has drawn widespread criticism on Twitter with well-known journalist Matshidiso Madia weighing in.
“Oh sorry Minister Mbalula. You are never not a public figure.”
Another journalist Alex Mitchley tweeted: “Ziyanda Ngcobo was perfectly within her rights as a journalist to ask this question. Mbalula as a publicly elected official posted a cryptic tweet on a public platform.”
The Citizen contacted Mbalula’s spokesperson for a comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
ALSO READ: ‘Landing in Ukraine while our cars land in potholes’ – SA reacts to Mbalula’s ‘trip’
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