Mirth over minister’s intelligence remark

STATE Security Minister David Mahlobo drew laughter from reporters on Tuesday when he announced that they received intelligence about unrest in Vuwani, Limpopo, a year before it occurred.

Mahlobo was briefing the media on the outcome of the peace and stability subcommittee discussions at the ANC policy conference in Joburg.

On intelligence-gathering, he said: “We must realise that when we have intelligence, we cannot scream and announce we have intelligence… for example, we had intelligence on Vuwani a year before it all happened.”

Mahlobo, at first seemed taken aback, then became irritated by the reaction from the room full of journalists, some of them giggling, before ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa asked them to stop.

It wasn’t long before #Mahlobo was trending on Twitter, with a video of his face contorting when he realised his #Vuwani slip. Mahlobo and his department have been blamed for failing to prevent the violent protests that erupted in Vuwani where schools were torched and teaching disrupted over issues around demarcation.

Popular yesterday was the question, “Ask #Mahlobo why they didn’t do something about it if he had information before it happened?”

But there were many lighthearted one-liners and memes about what else the minister possibly knew before it happened, ranging from politics to sport to entertainment.

CheckM8: #Mahlobo knew 15 years ago that the Guptas will destroy South Africa.

CheckM8:#Mahlobo knew seven years ago that the newly bought Prasa trains will not fit on SA railways.

Nkosi _GC: David Mahlobo knew 10 years ago that Generations will fire 16 actors and start Generations The Legacy.

Nkosi _GC: #Mahlobo knew three years ago that Orlando Pirates will not qualify for Top Eight last season.

AfricanSon: As to why he didn’t alert Ford (with a picture of a burning Kuga) that remains a mystery.

And then there was the personal, with Sphamandla noting #Mahlobo knew that I’d be broke and single this year, but he did nothing.

Mahlobo said it seemed some journalists lacked a grasp of issues judging from the questions they asked, and explained how intelligence worked.

“When we get intelligence we give it to the police, comrade Zizi (Kodwa) here sat in that NEC (national executive committee) when the Limpopo leadership told us that they had information before it all happened.

“A number of people were arrested, our problem lies with prosecution,” he said.