Cape Town’s next mayor, Dan Plato, has been described in news reports as “mediocre” and “lacklustre”. Thus someone very much in need of a PR boost to inspire confidence in Capetonians before he takes over on November 1 from the indomitable Patricia de Lille.
Most politicians are highly active on social media, have a considerable following and acknowledge its importance in getting their “message” across. The City of Cape Town itself is adept at using social media to keep the media and public informed.
It’s not so long ago the city said goodbye to Day Zero. But when it comes to social media current Western Cape MEC for Community Safety Plato, 57, still finds himself stuck at zero – as in zero social media accounts. Going "undercover" on social media simply won't do the trick.
The much-needed PR boost Plato requires is therefore not a possibility on social media. Unless the City realises Plato, who was mayor previously between 2009 and 2011, needs a quick “makeover”.
Andy Walker, the editor of memeburn.com, went in search of Plato on social media, after he got the DA’s nod to be the Mother City’s next mayor, and came up empty-handed and dumbfounded – in the light of De Lille, for one, having a huge online following. One of the contenders for De Lille’s throne who lost out, Brett Herron, even has his own website – brettherron.com. And the next Western Cape premier, Alan Winde, is not social media shy.
You can find a Dan Plato (DP Sleepy) on Facebook, an author and digital artist, who manages Becca's Superheroine Fantasies (let’s hope our Dan Plato can somehow become the superhero Capetonians are fantasising about). There are also two Daniel Platos on Facebook – a faceless one with nine friends and another of foreign extraction who writes in a language I cannot comprehend (is he a politician perhaps?).
On Twitter, a hashtag search for Cape Town's Dan Plato went up in smoke. There is an @danplato from Cleveland, Ohio, who clearly states, “I am not the mayor of Capetown, South Africa”. Instagram? Well, you don’t need a filter to guess the answer to that one.
Walker wrote: “A Cape Town mayor who has seemingly avoided social media thus far in his career probably comes as quite a shock for the city’s residents, particularly since current mayor Patricia de Lille is known for her chattiness online.
“According to SocialBlade, she averaged around eight tweets a day in September alone, published to her 143 000 followers on Twitter. The latter number’s also growing by 100 per day. And did we mention that her tweets – at least those not sent from her mayoral office team – are pretty sassy?
“She’s also known for her daily interactions with followers and regularly tweeting her agenda for the day. These are also reposted to Facebook.
“Dan Plato, however, can’t do this without social media accounts. And it’s important, considering that online media is becoming an essential communication link between the head of the City and its people...
“A social media presence doesn’t determine the quality of the leader, but Cape Town’s municipal boundaries – at least online – will shrink significantly from November 2018.”
Opposition parties (being the opposition) accused Plato this week of achieving little when he handed over the reins to De Lille in 2011 – likewise during his tenure as Community Safety MEC (the recently released crime stats back that up).
Some believe it’s a crime Plato was reappointed mayor. But perhaps he will surprise us all – after all, he is a man committed to social upliftment and poverty alleviation, something the city sorely needs.
Cape Chamber of Commerce president Janine Myburgh was quoted as saying there would be a “calmer and more productive management of the city with fewer storms and distraction” with Plato wearing the mayoral chain.
Indeed, social media is becalmed...