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ANALYSIS

Exposed — Iqbal Survé and Lindiwe Sisulu’s ‘unmasking’ event goes down like a lead balloon

An Independent Media attempt to expose who is behind a critical X account has backfired badly with potential legal action in the offing.
Exposed — Iqbal Survé and Lindiwe Sisulu’s ‘unmasking’ event goes down like a lead balloon Independent Media ‘exposé’. (Images: Supplied)

Those of you who get your news from legit news sites would have missed out this week on another “sensational” Independent Media “exposé,” which exploded like 10 freshly soiled decuplet nappies in Iqbal Survé’s face. 

A YouTube channel, News Live SA, which describes itself as “connected and trusted”, has since removed, under threat of legal action, a video of the event titled “#unmasking” that was held on Monday with former minister Lindiwe Sisulu.

 

Sisulu and Survé called the gathering in Cape Town to ostensibly disclose the names of those behind the X account Goolam (@Goolammv), which has proved a thorn in the X for those accused of corruption, deceit and political flip-flopping.

Sisulu blamed the account for scuppering her ANC presidential bid in 2017 alongside the bids of Zweli Mkhize and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

The account, with its 122,000 followers, has been on the social media platform since 2018, with the bio “Blocked by the axis of evil: Malema, Shivambu, Zuma. It’s a badge of honour.”

But the Survé/Sisulu circus hardly had time to drop the mic when the man she doxxed as being “one of the people behind the account”, UKZN lecturer and part-time comedian Mohammed Yacoob Vawda, hit back on X denying any knowledge and saying his life was now under threat.

Doxxing blooper

At the conference on Monday, it was Independent’s deputy content director, Mazwi Xaba, who announced that Vawda was behind the account. 

Shortly afterwards, Vawda posted, “This is very weird. A lot of things have been circulating about me nationally that I am behind some twitter [sic] account. I don’t even use Twitter.”

He said he and his family had received threats and that the entire issue was “ridiculous and I cannot believe that this was put out in the media”.

Offers of pro bono legal representation poured in for Vawda, with one X user, @BarronNaledi, proclaiming “Je Suis Goolam. Nous Sommes Goolam. We are Goolam.” 

At around noon on Tuesday, Goolam posted that Vawda would be getting counsel from Ben Winks with Rupert Candy appointed as his attorney.

“Rupert will be consulting with Mohammed at 14:00.”

At the “#unmasking” event, Sisulu gave a long and rambling account of her time as intelligence minister in the Mbeki Cabinet and admitted: “We bugged everyone.”

As a former minister of intelligence, Sisulu should have placed her brain in gear before opening her mouth as, if this was the case, it was illegal.

Meanwhile, the Presidency responded to Sisulu’s allegation with spokesperson Vincent Magwenya asking her to present all the info to Director-General Phindile Baleni.

From his side, 'journalist' Modibe Modiba, who still owes Daily Maverick R100,000 in defamation damages for his lies about our publication, was the first to try to expose the fingers and brain behind the Goolam account, claiming it was Tasneem Carrim from GCIS.

Sisulu named Carrim as “another” person behind the account and said she worked in the President’s office.

On Tuesday, Goolam posted: “IQBAL SURVÉ HAS EXPOSED ME FOR THE 4th TIME.

“First I was a journalist that was part of a Kathrada Funeral WhatsApp group. Then I was a Thabo working in Pravins office.

“Then I was Tasneem working in GCIS.”

The entire news conference has now gone the way of the infamous 2021 Piet Rampedi and Iqbal Survé’s “decuplets” fake news disaster — down the drain. DM

Comments

Theart Korsten Jul 17, 2024, 12:26 AM

It is amazing how much effort and money corrupt individual have to try and “prove” their innos ence. What a deal Mr Survé got not to back pack the PIC loan in full. Sickening. Living large. And the fall from grace of Ms. Sisulu. All just out for themselves. Ai tog! Perhaps in another generation or two things will finally settle. A luta Continua!

D'Esprit Dan Jul 17, 2024, 05:42 AM

Poor old Iqbal Surve. Always brings an intellectual water pistol to a gun fight. You'd think with the amount of money he siphoned of the PIC that he'd be able to pay for better fabrications! Not just decuplets, decoupled from reality.

jcdvil Jul 17, 2024, 06:14 AM

Suurvy is boring

Steve Davidson Jul 17, 2024, 06:53 AM

"As a former minister of intelligence, Sisulu should have placed her brain in gear before opening her mouth as, if this was the case, it was illegal." That of course assumes she has a brain. She's certainly got a mouth, though.

MaverickMe Jul 17, 2024, 07:19 AM

And a snout in the tax payers trough.

js expat Jul 17, 2024, 04:06 PM

Hear hear!

David Mitchley Jul 17, 2024, 06:54 AM

Well done to @Goolam for wrecking Sisulu, Zweli Mkhize and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma’s anc presidential dreams. Sir/Madam you did the country a huge favour.

Derek Alberts Jul 17, 2024, 07:00 AM

Condolences to the (genuine) journalists in the Independent stable having to endure Surve's delusional rantings.

Andrew Mortimer Jul 17, 2024, 12:01 PM

Yup a once proud group of newspapers...

Stanislav Zimela Nkosi kaMthembu Jul 17, 2024, 07:13 AM

Appears like another feeble attempt at being 'relevant,' what a shame!!!

Richard Robinson Jul 17, 2024, 07:42 AM

Survé and his ilk, a bunch of bottom-feeding intellectual midgets?

loammitruter Jul 17, 2024, 02:53 PM

Indeed!

Mark Hammick Jul 17, 2024, 07:44 AM

At the “#unmasking” event, Sisulu gave a long and rambling account of her time as intelligence minister in the Mbeki Cabinet and admitted: “We bugged everyone.” The "We bugged everyone." is of grave concern in a democracy with a free press and must be investigated further. However, it does show the paranoia of the cANCer.

Hidden Name Jul 17, 2024, 08:06 AM

Its also a legally actionable admission of guilt. So wheres the NPA?

sdfs Jul 17, 2024, 10:02 AM

The NPA is too busy hunting down the real criminals... those that use No No words!

Richard Blake Jul 18, 2024, 09:09 PM

Lol the NPA doesn't know it a#$ from its elbow.

Middle aged Mike Jul 17, 2024, 10:52 AM

I don't doubt for a second that it's true, that it's continued, that it's happening currently and that nothing whatever will be done about it.

Malcolm Dunkeld Jul 17, 2024, 08:25 AM

What rubbish, everyone knows Goolam is actually Elon Musk.

Middle aged Mike Jul 17, 2024, 08:54 AM

I hope he takes some money off the piggies with the gravied snouts.

Carsten Rasch Jul 17, 2024, 09:00 AM

Correction: Sisulu was Minister of Unintelligence.

Confucious Says Jul 17, 2024, 09:23 AM

Sisulu seems to sink to new lows all the time. I mistakingly used to think that she was a good person and a good proponent of the Constitution... How wrong I was! She is a venomous hag with multiple chips on both shoulders! Not to mention Surve'!

Pierre Mare Jul 17, 2024, 11:07 AM

these 2 should go to a BS Anonymous meeting, however whatever currency they traded on in the past has been devalued completely, is there a financial and intellectual status called "beyond junk"?

Con Tester Jul 17, 2024, 12:08 PM

Iqbal Survé is the Carl Niehaus of journalism, and Lindiwe Sisulu is the Kristen Stewart of politics. I'll leave as an exercise for those trained in psychology to explain how either of them still thinks that they have any authority, moral or otherwise.

Colin Braude Jul 17, 2024, 01:27 PM

" another “sensational” Independent Media “exposé,” which exploded like 10 freshly soiled decuplet nappies in Iqbal Survé’s face." My nomination for a journalism Hall Of Fame. It must be so galling when an anonymous account has more credibility than the newspaper group Iqbal stole millions to acquire. Since there is to be a smelling-out of Goolam: Has anyone noticed how quiet Helen Zille, a former journalist, has become on Twitter/X since "Goolam" began bean-spilling? Mind you, Jacob Zuma has always threatened to spill the beans; we never know, do we.

Colin Braude Jul 17, 2024, 01:27 PM

" another “sensational” Independent Media “exposé,” which exploded like 10 freshly soiled decuplet nappies in Iqbal Survé’s face." My nomination for a journalism Hall Of Fame. It must be so galling when an anonymous account has more credibility than the newspaper group Iqbal stole millions to acquire. Since there is to be a smelling-out of Goolam: Has anyone noticed how quiet Helen Zille, a former journalist, has become on Twitter/X since "Goolam" began bean-spilling? Mind you, Jacob Zuma has always threatened to spill the beans; we never know, do we.

loammitruter Jul 17, 2024, 02:52 PM

This is what happens when you take a pocket knife to a gun fight and forget to check beforehand that your knife has a blade ???. From the laughable to the hilarious. Perhaps Mr. Surve and Ms. Sisulu should just accept their irrelevance like everybody else whose time has come and gone instead of parading themselves as pitiful and ridiculous spectacles.

William Kelly Jul 17, 2024, 03:04 PM

Well, it's certainly entertaining! If you take it seriously I suppose it would be important, but if you choose to laugh at and enjoy the spectacle it's hilarious. What actually goes on in Surve's head I wonder?

Kevin Immelman Jul 17, 2024, 08:41 PM

Not a lot, I gather!

Con Tester Jul 17, 2024, 03:25 PM

IOL has just published a follow-up piece titled "Update: @Goolammv Investigation" under the "Independent Media IOL" byline in which they claim that they identified the wrong "Mohamed Vawda" for which they unreservedly apologise. The *real* "Mohamed Vawda" is apparently "Goolam Mohammed Sulieman Vawda." The views and opinions of Adri Senekal De Wet, Iqbal Survé's longstanding lapdog, feature extensively, so this comment should not be misconstrued as an endorsement of that hotbed of bias and misinformation.

Inertia Maharaj Jul 18, 2024, 08:34 PM

Just watched the embarrassing video with De Wet and the "chief executive" of IOL. My favourite bit was when they say they got it wrong due to a "technical error" in which they were "handed" the wrong information. Translation: we just read stuff out loud. So why exactly should we believe you?

Notinmyname Fang Jul 17, 2024, 07:33 PM

So glad Lindiwe and Inkball have found each other. A great team

Joe Soap Jul 17, 2024, 08:20 PM

Lindiwe does not understand why all articles about her have a very negative narrative. I don'r understand how she cannot understand.

Inertia Maharaj Jul 18, 2024, 07:33 PM

Goolam is an anonymous Twitter user that IOL is spending millions to "unmask". You don't get this upset about a "troll" unless you're very worried about what they might reveal next. We see you, Iqbal.