Social media gets lit as Mzansi weighs in on US elections
By Chad Williams 
Nov 5, 2020
As counting continues in the 2020 US elections to determine who will be the country’s 46th leader, South Africans on Twitter haven’t held back with their spicy commentary.
CAPE TOWN - As counting continues in the 2020 US elections to determine who will be the country’s 46th leader, South Africans on Twitter haven’t held back with their spicy commentary.
The showdown between incumbent President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden is reaching the final stages, this as Biden edges closer and closer to the magic number of 270 electoral college votes, which is required to secure the top job.
Trump’s tweets have been feeding a global audience of ‘election observers’ with his erratic tweets throughout election day and the hours that followed.
STOP THE COUNT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2020
Meanwhile, in South Africa, twitter users dragged South Africa’s Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula after he tweeted that “Trump will win the elections”.
Some people responded saying that the minister should stop worrying about who wins the election in the US, but rather focus on the poor state of public transport in South Africa, while other social media users didn’t mince their words.
“Flip flopping politicians, we see you’ referring to Mbalula, after the minister tweeted “New dawn in America”, said a user after reports emerged that Biden was on course to clinching the election. Mbalula has since deleted his election tweets.
Some other tweets on social media:
This lady just said “Trump wore the Republican Party like a rented tuxedo and now we’re sitting with the dry cleaning bill and the tuxedo is lying there dirty and crumpled in the corner with cigarette burns and bodily fluid stains” pic.twitter.com/2DBjf1jNTf
— Mr D 🏳️🌈 (@DarronDiesel) November 5, 2020
I am trying so hard to be graceful and not petty. Let me wait for the final numbers. pic.twitter.com/YdW4OCotVH
— Phumzile Van Damme (@zilevandamme) November 5, 2020
What a cowardly way to go out. Biden won’t even need Pennsylvania. Geez.
— Muneera's holle really saved the day 🍑 (@TraceyManus) November 4, 2020
Trump had an opportunity to accept defeat graciously and instead has opted to go out in shame, yikes https://t.co/5LPDR2Lpre pic.twitter.com/K3ULyGTnNR
Meanwhile, South Africa’s African Christian Democratic Party leader Reverend Kenneth Meshoe also got dragged on social media for his tweet in support of Trump after he tweeted: “Please pray for peaceful elections in the US tomorrow (3 Nov), and specifically for President Donald Trump to be re-elected as the President of the United States of America”.
Users responded to the politician, with one saying “@Kennethmeshoe's Christianity is questionable if he is asking for his followers to pray for @realDonaldTrump who doesn’t have moral standards...a racist!” - @vspama88
“Pray for your Mr @Kennethmeshoe please please, your party is struggling and yet you pray for #DonaldTrump to win”
Meanwhile, according to Forbes, Facebook and Twitter have flagged half of Trump’s posts since Tuesday because he repeatedly and falsely declared victory and cast doubt on legal votes counted after Election Day.
African News Agency