Popular Twitter parody account @AdvBarryRoux on Tuesday morning tweeted a presumably Photoshopped picture of a television screen showing a SABC News anchor with the caption “Former President Jacob Zuma to be sworn in as new finance minister”.
The story was also carried by Mzansi Stories, a website known for publishing news which is often either partly or entirely fake.
Most Twitter users took this as the joke it almost certainly is, adding their own humorous responses.
But a few Twitter users appear to have been fallen for the story.
And one Twitter user even appears to think Zuma as finance minister would be a good idea.
Zuma is not the only name who has been bandied about, whether authentically or not, as a replacement for finance minister Nhlanhla Nene.
The Citizen reported on Monday that in the days following a dip in confidence about Nene’s character, there has been a lot of speculation about how long the minister will remain in his position.
Nene’s reputation took a knock after he admitted to having met with the Guptas several times while deputy finance minister, something he had previously denied.
Then, the finance minister was met with further controversy after his role in a deal involving his son while Nene was chairperson of the PIC (Public Investment Corporation) has been probed following the release of a Mail & Guardian report.
READ MORE: Nene’s image takes further knock as his role in son’s business deal probed
The assumption was that he would be fired but he surprised everyone by asking to be relieved of his duties.
This has left the nation wondering who will be appointed to the role of South Africa’s new finance minister.
A recent Fin24 article saw Ferial Haffajee tapping MEC for finance in Gauteng Barbara Creecy and deputy finance minister Mondli Gungubele as Nene’s possible successors with Creecy leading as the “fan favourite”.
The idea of Creecy as finance minister also sparked much discussion online.
Additional reporting by Kaunda Selisho
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