A day after a serious court setback that will compel him to shoulder millions of rand in legal fees, a jovial former President Jacob Zuma announced on Friday that he was joining social media platform Twitter and promptly distanced himself from any supposed fundraising efforts on his behalf.
Zuma, who was told by the North Gauteng high court on Thursday that he would have to settle legal fees for his criminal and civil cases from his own pocket, made his Twitter debut with a 45 seconds video of himself informing users that he had decided to join in on the national debates in cyberspace.
Good morning Mzansi
— Jacob G Zuma (@PresJGZuma) December 14, 2018
Thank you for the warm welcome, I look forward to engaging with you. pic.twitter.com/sr1MhSNf0F
In his second tweet, Zuma addressed a user who posted what purported to be the banking details of a fundraising effort to pay for Zuma's legal fees.
"This is false," Zuma posted.
Twitter users appeared to embrace his presence in cyberspace despite his widespread vilification in real life, amid allegations of corruption and misgoverning the country.
Even his arch-opponent, EFF leader Julius Malema tweeted "Welcome Baba" in response to Zuma's post.
Some users urged Twitter to immediately verify Zuma's account.
- ANA
