HIGHER Education minister Jonathan Moyo yesterday torched a Twitter war with South Africans after he twitted negative remarks about that country’s economy.
By Everson Mushava Moyo posted that South Africa would face the same fate as Zimbabwe and that its rand started falling like a “deck of cards” soon after the President Jacob Zuma-led economy lost its African powerhouse status to Nigeria.
Nduku Nduna, one of Moyo’s Twitter followers said although South Africa was facing challenges; it would never reach the Zimbabwe status unless Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema took over the reins.
But Moyo responded: “SA’s exceptionalism is a myth. The African experience has one path with one destiny littered with the same potholes!”
Moyo’s insinuations did not go down well with South Africans who then started lampooning the Tsholotsho North MP under hashtag#: “SomeoneTellProfMoyo.”
South Africa’s International Relations Ministry spokesperson Clayson Monyela retaliated by asking South Africans to weigh in on the issue.
Monyela warned Moyo: “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones . . .”
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“I wish I could put diplomacy aside, but I can’t . . . SA Twitter can someone please assist . . . SomeoneTellProfMoyo,” Monyela twitted.
This opened the floodgates to unrestrained attacks on Moyo.
Bongani @zikhali110 advised Moyo to fix the Zimbabwe dollar first before he could comment on the South African rand.
Zimbabwe introduced a multi-currency regime which includes the South African rand in 2009 after recording the world‘s highest inflation figures.
Yesterday’s Twitter war came hardly three months after Moyo was involved in another cyber war with former South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni.
Mboweni accused Moyo of scuppering an R1 billion economic rescue package while millions of Zimbabweans suffered. Moyo then described Mboweni as a charlatan who needed psychiatrist attention.
Others attacked Moyo for rejoicing in the collapse of the South African economy yet it was supporting millions of Zimbabweans.
Agent Provocateur @De_Imperial took a dig at Moyo: “#SomeoneTellProfMoyo to pay back part of R100m for the project entitled The Future of the African Elite sponsored by WK Kellogg Foundation.”
AbortedNews @AbortedNews mocked Zimbabweans: “Zimbabweans are good at jumping borders so what will stop them from jumping to conclusion too #SomeoneTellProfMoyo.”
But Chris Vick @chrisvick3 said: “2 months ago the same #SomeonetellProfMoyo was a hero to some for ‘exposing’ the ‘imperialist agenda’ of an NGO fighting for [Sudan President Omar] al-Bashir’s arrest.”
Moyo in July attacked West African countries for ordering the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir while attending a Sadc summit in South Africa.
Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in the Darfur region. South Africa is a signatory to the ICC.
