This a summary of the trending, highest impact, and most active themes and their narratives related to social cohesion and division in South African public-domain social media conversations on 20 July 2020. Global trends affecting South Africa are also covered.
Oppressed women
Conversations about the oppression of black women trended on Twitter yesterday after @ChrisMoagi shared a [thread](https://twitter.com/ChrisMoagi/status/1285140505295228930) with videos and photographs of people protesting: āWomen from Dobsonville, Soweto are out in the street protesting after there has been cases of rape and housebreaking. They are saying police are not helping women who are under seige in the area and they don’t feel safe.ā This generated 809 retweets and 783 likes.
Later @wildfonts retweeted an originalĀ postĀ by @mhealananda from the weekend: āWhy are so many black men horrifically violent toward women? I see it so often on here. Videos people post, images that black people post on twitter as they brag about the violence… itās creepy.ā This received 1 100 retweets and 1 800 likes.
Disapproving of this, @wildfonts quoted it in aĀ retweet: āWhy do white women feel empowered to say stupid ass shit like this as though they havenāt been horrifically violent to Black women and other non-white women, Black men and any other non-white people all throughout history.ā This received 195 retweets and 427 likes.
On Monday 20 July 2020, Twitter user @valavoosh shared an eleven-partĀ threadĀ of one of the lesser known women leaders of pre-colonial South Africa. The initial tweet read, āKgosi Sekonyela of BaTlĆ“kwa died on this day in 1856 in Herschel district in the Eastern Cape. I want to talk about his mother Queen Mantatisi, one of the most powerful and most feared military and political leaders of the early years of the Mfecane.ā This gained traction with over 1 000 retweets and 2 000 likes.
Relationships and romance
Several tweets detailing peopleās views on romantic relationships resonated with thousands of Twitter users yesterday. @dablacrapunzelĀ sharedĀ an image posted by @sonoanthonyy declaring that āphysical touch is really my love languageā. The tweet received over 31 500 retweets and over 100 000 likes globally.
@niphss [posted](https://twitter.com/niphss/status/1285300720556744704) āTomorrow marks 365 days with the love of my life. it hurts that I canāt be with her. Hurts that we canāt even celebrate. IT HURTS!!! IT HURTS!!! IT HURTS!!!ā. This was liked and retweeted almost 1 000 times. Another user, @nyaopeType, yearning for a partner tweeted, āGuys Iām looking for a boyfriend, please rt for awarenessā, which was liked over 4 700 times and received over 4 100 retweets.
@Primesuv [declared](https://twitter.com/Primesuv/status/1285247311552143361) āA good wife is a gift from God, a good husband is a guy from KZNā. This was liked and retweeted almost 2 000 times.
@KNaomiN and @jesssra both shared similar sentiments that were liked and shared widely. @KNaomiNĀ tweetedĀ ā…get rid of toxic people in your life, this pandemic is already stressful to deal withā. This was liked and retweeted over 4 200 times.
@AmalaSilwana shared her approach to relationships: āi’m such a āyoh ha.a ngcono siyekeā type of person. andizthandi iforced vibesā. The tweet, which loosely translates to āI am a āwe better stopā type of personā¦ I donāt liked forced vibesā, was liked over 6 300 times and retweeted over 2 400 times.
@Neourl [shared](https://twitter.com/Neourl/status/1285222423516925954) her view on the behaviour of others, āNothing annoys me like people who live a life of debauchery, having all the sex, doing all the drugs, yeeting all the fetuses and then when they are older & ready to calm down they want to get all moralistic & conservative. Where was the holy spirit in your 20s? & in your 30s?ā. This was liked and retweeted almost 1 000 times.
Buy South African
āI want to start a hashtag #BuySouthAfrican On that day we ALL commit to buying goods & services made here at home & we post online to give the business owners some shine. Whoās in? What day should we choose?ā tweetedĀ Vusi Thembekwayo. The tweet received over 12 500 likes, 3 700 retweets and 1 200 comments with people sharing their support for the initiative, promoting various businesses and offering advice.
@Hazel_mahazard replied,Ā āIām all for black business but while we at it can we encourage black business owners to own the value chain, they must make/produce/manufacture their own products, this thing of buying in bulk from Europeans or Asians rebranding & reselling is overdone & has no real value.ā This tweet received 397 likes and 78 retweets.
Katlego Maseng shared a tweet about Botebo Wines, a Black female-owned vineyard and label. He tweeted, āMeet the owner of a 48-hectare vineyard and a wine label, Botebo Wines, Tebogo Ditsebe (52). Ditsebe managed to turn a neglected vineyard into a thriving success. She was born in Kimberley in the Northern Cape. Today, she employs 3 full-time workers & 30 to 50 seasonal workers.ā The tweet received over 3 800 likes, 1 400 retweets and 35 comments, with people asking where and how they can purchase the wine.
Ivyn Sambo shared a tweet to promote Indiza Tea. HeĀ tweeted, āI proudly #BuySouthAfrican products such as this amazing teas by house of Indiza Tea. They are an amazing indigenous healthy tea which are made by an amazing group of women from Limpopo. For more information please check them out here @IndiZAFoodsā. The tweet received 187 likes and 56 retweets.
Actor apologises
An explicit video of SK Khoza, an actor on the TV show āThe Queenā that airs on Mzansi Magic, was leaked on social media. The video depicts the actor and others partying with several women who are dancing naked in a living room. TheĀ video, shared by @DjTukza_ZA and others has been viewed over 85 000 times.
@kingmnisi shared a
(https://twitter.com/kingmnisi/status/1285121863245606912) interview of Khoza apologising. This video was viewed over 178 000 times, with the tweet being retweeted and liked over 5 700 times. @MySoulMiAlma criticized the women in the video in aĀ tweet, which was liked over 1 300 times and retweeted over 300 times. The actor later apologized in aĀ tweet that read,Ā āMy actions were unacceptable, I beg for forgiveness. I take full responsibility, especially at a time we are faced with a serious pandemic. I should have made better decisions. I need to do better. To everyone I have disappointed and hurt, I am truly sorryā. The tweet was liked over 16 600 times and retweeted over 3 500 times.
Kuanda Ntunja
Conversations about the death of rugby commentator, Kuanda Ntunja, gained significant traction as highlighted under the top topics by snapshot, volume and burst. On Monday 20 July 2020, @tandontunjaĀ sharedĀ two images – one of which contained a statement from the family. The tweet read, ā[NTUNJA FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE PASSING OF KAUNDA NTUNJA] Cc @avee01, @SuperSportTV. Email: [email protected] for all media and related queries.ā This generated over 1 000 retweets and 918 likes.
Allen Booi
Yesterday @TvMzansiĀ tweeted:Ā āThe legendary actor Allen Booi passed on this morning. We would like to extend our sincere condolences to family & friends. He was well known for his roles on TV shows like Tsha Tsha, Igazi, Isidingo, Zone 14, After Nine, Generations, Backstage amongst others. #RIPAllenBooiā. The tweet was liked and retweeted over 300 times. @TrinityManageSA alsoĀ sharedĀ the sad news, along with some portraits of the actor. This tweet was liked and retweeted almost 13 000 times.
Ayanda Mbatyothi
A well-known impersonator of the beloved former president Nelson Mandela has died after contracting COVID-19. @News24Ā tweetedĀ a link to their article reporting that Ayanda Mbatyothi died on 19 July after fighting the virus for over 2 weeks. The tweet was liked and shared over 1 000 times. Many replies expressed dismay at the news, such as the tweet by @NaVhugala which read, āIām tired of reading about death, itās so sad Disappointed face May he Rest In Peaceā.
Ends
Issued by the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change.
SeeĀ Cabc.org.zaĀ for daily reports
A deep analysis on any of these issues is available on request.
About CABC
The Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC) is a non-profit organisation. Ā It was established to track and counter mis- and disinformation, fake news and divisive and polarising rhetoric that is promulgated online to undermine social cohesion, democratic integrity, and the stability of nation states.
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