On Wednesday, after a disastrous “press conference” held in Cape Town on Monday with former minister Lindiwe Sisulu about the “sensational” unmasking of the culprit behind the Goolam social media account on X (@Goolammv), Independent Media CEO Viasen Soobramoney blamed a “technical glitch” for the embarrassing blunder.
Sisulu had collaborated with Independent Media, claiming the account-holder “knew too much, even when ministers are appointed” and was responsible for her political career being sucked down the drain.
Soobramoney said, “As chief executive officer of the IOL platform, I will be taking concrete steps to ensure that such an oversight does not occur again. Both IOL and Independent Media deeply regret the error.”
Afterwards, IOL published another video on its YouTube channel featuring the editor-in-chief of Independent Media, Adri Senekal de Wet, and Soobramoney backtracking and naming as the account-holder another individual with the same surname as the man erroneously fingered by Independent.
The real Goolam was, said Senekal de Wet, Goolam Mohammed Sulieman Vawda, who allegedly owned properties across the country.
Read more: Exposed — Iqbal Survé and Lindiwe Sisulu’s ‘unmasking’ event goes down like a lead balloon
After the IOL “exposé” turned pear-shaped on Monday, the first alleged Goolam, Mohammed Yacoob Vadwa, was offered pro bono legal representation by attorney Rupert Candy instructed by advocate Ben Winks. A stiff letter of demand was speedily dispatched to Independent Media.
Afterwards, IOL removed the video of the press conference.
In a second letter to Independent Media’s lawyers, Candy set out that while Vadwa had noted the apology and retraction, his client was still being subjected to abuse and threats.
“It appears the retraction/apology is not prominent enough to have captured the attention of internet users, considering that it appears only halfway through the article and the video, and is not referenced in the caption or headline,” said Candy.
It ain’t over
Meanwhile, over on Instagram, the lecturer Vadwa, who moonlights as a part-time stand-up comic, posted that the apology by Independent Media was not “good enough and I have now delivered a second Letter of Demand”.
He said he was exploring “other legal avenues to pursue against Independent Media and the other individuals mentioned in my first letter of demand. My legal team have reserved all my rights, including those not yet specifically mentioned, civil, and criminal.”
He added that he was “really hoping that a well-established, prestigious media house like Independent Media would act in good faith, but it appears that I was wrong”.
Glitches, errors and whoopsies
Soobramoney tried to explain away the serious blooper, saying, “Initially, our investigations identified two individuals linked to the @Goolammv X account, both named Mohammed Vawda.
“However, during the press conference, a technical error occurred in that the wrong profile was shared with our content teams and the public.”
This blunder had “resulted in the inadvertent and incorrect identification of a UKZN lecturer and comedian as the person behind the account. For this, we unreservedly apologise to Mohammed Yacoob Vawda, his family and friends, our fellow reporters and to the South African public.”
While all of this was happening, Soobramoney announced, “We have subsequently instructed our attorneys to go ahead with legal proceedings against Goolam Mohammed Sulieman Vawda.”
Independent Media, he complained, was “one of the victims” of this account and had been the target “of an orchestrated disinformation and misinformation campaign, designed to undermine it and to prevent it from publishing the truth on matters relating to the government and even organised crime”.
This is a developing soap opera. DM