Social media has been taken hijacked by a new trend. Scores of ‘gatvol’ netizens have rallied up support, calling on fellow patriots to ‘fight back for South Africa’.
What is this ‘fight back for South Africa’ trend all about?
The origins of this trend are unknown at this stage. We basically didn’t have the time and patience to go deeper into the virtual rabbit hole to find the source that sparked this controversial trending topic.
However, the rhetoric, we have heard manier times before. Two key figures have popped up frequently in the discussion around fighting back for South Africa: Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and EFF leader Julius Malema.
The two political figures’ recent comments on the state of South Africa have drawn ire from social media, for a number of reasons. Mboweni, seemingly perturbed by information we aren’t privy to, posted a cryptic tweet about state coffers who were defrauding the State and unwell people.
Malema, on the other hand, held a virtual address in celebration of the EFF’s seventh anniversary, where he made comments that rubbed netizens the wrong way.
“[Former president Jacob] Zuma was selling the country for a plate of curry, and Ramaphosa is selling the country for a glass of wine from the Rupert family,” Malema charged.
Social media rallies for national dignity: Here’s what netizens said
While there may be no link to the two statements made by these political leaders, we firmly believe that they played a part in sparking the social unrest around the ‘fight back for South Africa’ trend.
From tweets that border on hate speech, to genuine expressions of disgruntlement and growing frustrations, this is how social media has reacted to the trending topic.