Former minister Lindiwe Sisulu. Picture: @LindiweSisuluSA/Twitter
African National Congress (ANC) veteran Lindiwe Sisulu is adamant that the information she shared in a media briefing on Monday is credible. The former minister spoke about how she had been harassed on social media by a person using the handle Goolam and how the Ministry of Intelligence “bugged everybody”.
She alleged that a person employed by the Presidency is responsible for the Goolam handle on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Presidency has since urged Sisulu to present the information implicating Presidency staff in wrongdoing to its director-general, Phindile Baleni, for further investigation.
Sisulu made the claims during a briefing held by Independent Media in Cape Town on Monday.
Independent Media used the briefing to name the person they believe is behind the Goolam account.
“For some time, we tried to track Goolam down and we found that the person who was fronting for Goolam was in the Presidency and a woman dealing with communication. We didn’t get any further that that and I regretted that our media has got to the point where it is now,” Sisulu alleged.
She also made claims about the government “bugging” people.
“I was the first Minister of Intelligence in this country. The previous one had been Joe Nhlanhla, and he passed away prematurely, so we were responsible for ensuring that the integrity of information and the individual’s information was dealt with. We had very regular meetings with the media and we, ourselves, were exposed to a lot of information. We bugged everybody, essentially,” Sisulu said.
ALSO READ: Sisulu calls on black parties to unite to prevent ANC-DA coalition
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told The Citizen that Sisulu should provide evidence to back up her claims.
“If the former minister felt maligned, allegedly by a staff member in the Presidency, she should have furnished that information to the director-general. However, such logical action was not followed.
“With respect to claims of ‘bugging of everybody’, such action would have been unconstitutional and illegal. Perhaps the former minister will take some time to reflect on the veracity and implications of her comments,” Magwenya said.
Magwenya also said at this stage there’s no intention for the Presidency to engage with Sisulu.
“The Inspector General on Intelligence will be the most appropriate platform to engage her over the claims she has made.”
The Citizen contacted Sisulu’s advisor Mphumzi Mdekazi asking him to clarify her comments and to provide proof of the allegations she made about the Presidency staff member.
Mdekazi said Sisulu took time to address the media, attending to what she termed “atrocious attacks on her personal integrity over time from various media outfits and faceless social media accounts”.
“In her view this has been a historical ongoing trend to solely defame and sully her reputation. It is in this context that she decided to attend and confront the issue, and made an example of ethical boundaries through invoking an inference to section one of the National Strategic Intelligence Act, as such the matter now is no longer in her hands.”
Mdekazi said Sisulu’s legal team has taken the matter up.
“We will be advised by her legal team on the next step.
“She is not at liberty to divulge any information, as the investigation is continuously conducted by Independent Media.
“They have stated that they will reveal the details of the investigation in due course. As indicated, she was speaking at the invitation, as she is a victim of being trialed by the media through the sock-puppet account known as Goolam and other media outfits,” Mdekazi said.
Meanwhile, Independent Media accused Mohammed Yacoob Vawda of being behind the controversial Goolam handle. He has since denied the claims.
“This is very weird, but a lot of things have been circulating about me nationally that I am some guy behind some Twitter [X] account, and I am definitely not that guy.
“This is very weird, but a lot of things have been circulating about me nationally that I am some guy behind some Twitter account, and I am definitely not that guy. I don’t even use Twitter, I haven’t used Twitter for eight years or something like that.”
Vawda claims he doesn’t know much about politics in South Africa.
“I cannot believe that this was put in the media. It’s definitely false allegations, and I don’t even know anything about politics and the people in politics, to be honest. I only know the heads of political parties and no one else. So, for me, this is the weirdest and scariest news that can ever happen, and I am very fearful for my life,” Vawda said.
ALSO READ: Lindiwe Sisulu ‘not bothered’ after being booted from Ramaphosa’s Cabinet
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
