Cabinet minister revelry as Mbalula gets Blade Nzimande to join Twitter

20 January 2016 - 19:38 By TMG Digital
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Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande with university vice chancellors Adam Habib from Wits (left) and UJ's Ihron Rensburg (right).
Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande with university vice chancellors Adam Habib from Wits (left) and UJ's Ihron Rensburg (right).
Image: Twitpic posted by Bonginkosi Nzimande ‏@DrBladeNzimande

Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande roped in two university vice-chancellors to post his first tweet – on the encouragement of outspoken Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.

Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande roped in two university vice-chancellors to post his first tweet – on the encouragement of outspoken Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.

Nzimande (57) credited Mbalula for making him turn the corner, commenting: “Mbaks you'll get me here, uzoyithola kanjani uma ungekho kwi Twitter @MBalulaFikile”.

Mbalula replied: “Welcome - soze wayithola outside here. This is a platform to connect with our people”. 

He also alerted his sizeable Twitter following of 413,000 followers, tweeting: “CONFIRMED the Twittter Account of Higher Education and Training Minister is 100% authentic - Follow him on @DrBladeNzimande Not Parody”.

There are at least three other, defunct, accounts in Nzimande’s name on Twitter.

The new one uses his real name - Bonginkosi Nzimande – as well as his better known nickname of Blade.

The politician, who has been Minister for Higher Education and Training since 2009, posted his first official tweet with a photo of himself holding a smartphone flanked by Adam Habib, Vice Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, and Ihron Rensburg, Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg.

Nzimande was meeting university vice-chancellors in Johannesburg on Wednesday to discuss the student funding crisis following the #FeesMustFall protests.

Nzimande’s tag line is: “Philosophers have interpreted the world in various ways, the point however is to change it - Marx and Engels #BeTheChange #Education #AWEHness”.

Within the first three hours, the Bonginkosi Nzimande @DrBladeNzimande account had over 1,000 followers.

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