Yesterday #MarkusJooste allegedly blew his brains out with a shotgun. This was while police were arresting him for the R475 million fine that he had been instructed to pay after stealing R106 billion from SA’s pensioners. He died on the way to the hospital. We’ve all heard this story before. No, not the suicide, but the narrative: a fraction of the stolen money is charged as a fine and then we all move forward as if it didn’t happen. #Steinheist happened, so why didn’t #Jooste pay the small change and carry on with his day? And in fact, how on earth is #Jooste living in his own house when the whole of Germany is looking for him? There must be a great deal more to come… Or if you’re a Twitter user you’ll find a great deal of comparisons between #GavinWatson and #Bosasa and #Jooste’s #Steinhoff. You may have to cast your mind back to #Watson; he headed up #Bosasa, the major bribe headquarters for corruption during the #StateCaptureCommission. The same #Bosasa where #AngeloAgrizzi dropped files and the next thing #GavinWatson was killed in a solo car crash with nothing but a Nokia phone on him. At the time we called to see the body, obviously that didn’t happen. And today across social media, the community are calling for a #StewardsEnquiry. Both #GavinWatson and #MarcusJooste are trending. Sounds callous, doesn’t it? Social media is callous. When the story broke, we were told Jooste went out for a walk and then shot himself in the park outside his neighbour’s home. Later we were told that he used the shotgun on himself as the cops were about to arrest him. Today we are reading headlines using the term “rest in peace”. I don’t know what exactly happened, but I do hope that inheritance money is used to pay the poor gogos who were ripped off.
I also wonder what ever happened about #TinaJoematPetersen’s suicide. We never heard the end to that story either. Well that’s the opening to our weekly report. #BosasaVibes and #TheSuicideSquad.
It’s me, Tonya Khoury, and it’s time for us to #ScratchTheSurface on a strange week in the social streets.
If you’ve been watching my timeline, you’ll know one of Sodwana’s own is missing. #JohnMatambu. I’m not going to write about this story, but if anyone sees this man called Ferdie Visser (on the left), please contact the authorities. The details are below. He was last seen in Maputo, Mozambique. #Justice4Matambu
While I was lamenting John’s disappearance, I was astonished to see no other than #ZweliMkhize on my screen. He’s topped the candidate list for the #ANC in KZN. I thought if you had a pending criminal case you couldn’t work for the ANC? How is the guy, who stole our PPE money during Covid – while masquerading as our #HealthMinister – even allowed to even stand as a candidate? I bore myself when I ask these questions; nothing to see here folks, just the #ANC and reasons to leave them behind. #DigitalVibes.
There was a further arrest and subsequent confession in the #JoshlinSmith case. A woman, who says she was beaten into signing a statement, was brought into the spotlight this week. We don’t know what the confession said, and we’re unlikely to ever know. #Justice4Joshlin.
Then there was old #Jacob. Wow, this guy grabs headlines like a kid in a candy store. #FNB froze his bank accounts this week and there were demonstrations of massive support for uJacob as we are left hanging as to whether he can put his mugshot on the ballot paper or not. We learnt that diamond dealer #Liebenberg, the guy who paid for Zuma’s court cases, is also behind the #MKFunding. It’s a dangerous game this one. Stealing the MK logo coupled with a ballot paper may certainly get some attention that the ANC doesn’t like. Good news is Zuma failed at his attempt to get #Downer removed (again) in the #ArmsDealCase. It won’t be long now until the crows have come to fetch the shiny things.
Then we had that debacle with the #ZuluKing where the ANC’s #Duma literally took the mic out of the King’s hand to make his own five-page speech. Well, that went down like the Hindenburg and today the ANC are kowtowing, but it seems the apology is not enough. #WatchThisSpace. #BadVibes.
In the #SenzoTrial, the judge lost his toys as he frothed about a missing advocate for one of the accused that apparently was replaced with a previous advocate that had been fired and then replaced again with the fired advocate. The judge, now enraged with attorney osmosis, pulled the race card (even though all the advocates are black) and he lamented the journey from Roodepoort to court saying “It was not fair”. I tell you what’s not fair: #KellyKhumalo still sitting at home. Bring her in, we want to talk to her. #SenzoTime.
#MapisaNgakula, after having her offices raided, handed herself over to the authorities and filed her resignation at the same time. If you don’t know who she is, she’s #MadamSpeaker and between you and me, I quite liked her. But turns out she’s a crook and probably going to join up with either the MK or the EFF. #FloorCrossing like a dancing Lipizzaner.
In other news snippets: Stolen minerals worth R15,5 million were recovered in a Richards Bay truck. Judge #Maumela was hospitalised after a tribunal hearing ruled against him. And in the #AKA #Tibz case, the cops finally got the paperwork together for the #MalawianBrothers to be extradited. Without you even noticing, a bill about party funding transparency was pushed into law. #ElectionVibes.
It was #HumanRightsDay as we learn of places around #Rustenburg that have been without water for two years. Two years! #HumanRightsDay where we learn that #PitToilets are still a part of daily life and we had been told that they were a thing of the past. #HumanRightsDay
Across the seas, #AlShifa hospital has been the centre of the Israeli bombardment with at least one hundred killed in the hospital. Apparently #Hamas are hiding there. Aid battles to get into northern Gaza where birds circle the air above bodies. Even #GenocideJoe has had enough, well his electorate anyway. There’s been a call for early elections by Israelis, but it’s fallen on deaf ears and so ended an apocalyptic week.
Oh wait, where is Kate?