“We wish to put it on record that deputy president Motlanthe has never registered on Twitter, Facebook or any other social media platform and therefore distances himself from the contents of impersonated accounts,” it said in a statement 

“The presidency has requested both Twitter and Facebook to close all accounts purporting to be owned by... Motlanthe.”

 A Motlanthe profile was created on Twitter nearly two months ago.   One of the tweets, on the Limpopo textbook saga, read: “What is currently happening in Limpopo was envisaged and the media had warned us of this... Comrades we are in a revolution.”  

A comment by another user speculating that Motlanthe would try to unseat President Jacob Zuma at the ANC’s elective conference in Mangaung was retweeted.   It read:” Away with Jacob Zuma in Limpopo away!!! Forward Kgalema Motlanthe forward!!!”