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IOL News
12-07-2025
- IOL News
SAPS slammed for delays in social media hate speech case
Goolam Muhammed Suliman Vawda, 49, has been using the social media alias @goolammv to discredit and threaten journalists, government officials, entrepreneurs, and politicians from South Africa for six years. Image: Supplied LAW enforcement inefficiencies are once again under scrutiny as the South African Police Service (SAPS) drags its feet in investigating a high-profile social media abuse case involving former Intelligence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. Sisulu laid a criminal complaint on July 21, 2024, at the Roodepoort Police Station against Goolam Mohammed Sulieman Vawda, who is widely believed to be behind the controversial X (formerly Twitter) handle @goolammv — an account accused of spreading hate speech, cyberbullying, and defamatory statements targeting political figures and private citizens alike. A year later, the case remains stagnant, with no progress communicated by the Gauteng police. SAPS failed to provide any update when approached for comment in May, and has not responded to subsequent queries. This comes despite allegations that Vawda fled the country shortly after the case was opened, allegedly relocating to Mauritius, where he continues to operate the X account. Digital analyst and World Wide Worx CEO Arthur Goldstuck described the state's handling of such cases as deeply concerning. He said the country's Cybercrimes Act and Protection from Harassment Act offer legal pathways to address online abuse, but implementation remains a major hurdle. 'Law enforcement often lacks the digital forensics expertise and dedicated resources to pursue these cases effectively,' said Goldstuck. 'That gap between the legal framework and practical enforcement is where justice collapses.' He warned that unless SAPS is trained and resourced to trace digital footprints and secure admissible evidence, victims will continue to suffer while perpetrators act with impunity. 'It's not just about the law being there. It's about having the ability and the will to use it.' Goldstuck noted that key steps — such as securing digital evidence to link an individual to an online persona — were either ignored or delayed, weakening the potential for successful prosecution. 'If forensic experts had been engaged early on, a proper digital trail could have been established, which is now much harder to reconstruct.' Police have yet to respond despite numerous requests for an update on Sisulu's case.
IOL News
10-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Lindiwe Sisulu demands action from police over social media defamation case
Former minister Lindiwe Sisulu is not happy with the police's failure to make a breakthrough in the case she opened against Goolam Muhammed Suliman Wawda, who used social media to tarnish her image. Image: Independent Media archives FORMER minister Lindiwe Sisulu has expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the police, who she alleged were dragging their feet in arresting social media activist Goolam Muhammed Suliman Wawda for publicly tarnishing her name through spreading misinformation. The former Intelligence minister on Friday said that she would not give up the fight to see Wawda, whose X handle was believed to be @Goolammv, behind bars. Despite opening a case against Wawda at Roodepoort Police Station on July 21, 2024, Sisulu has not received any joy in the police effort to bring him to book. 'I have visited the police to inquire about their progress and am not satisfied with their efforts,' she said. Sisulu said she would fight for her rights to justice by ensuring the police do their job in bringing Wawda to book. 'I am not going to withdraw the case because it might not solve my problem of having my name tarnished, but this would make sure that people who peddle misinformation understand that there are consequences,' she said. Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo did not respond to a request to provide an update on the case. It is believed that the police have been unable to locate Wawda as he has left the country, evading the law. 'During the time that I had a meeting with the people he had targeted, we were told that he was out of the country. 'It is a strategy that he employs all the time, but he cannot be out of the country every time that he is in the headline news,' said Sisulu. She said opening a criminal case was part of the process of laying a lawsuit against Wawda. 'As soon as I decided to open a case against him, I got in touch with my lawyers. 'That is the step that we took. We went to the police station to lay the charge and further steps would be taken by my legal team when they think that it is appropriate for them to do that.' She said South Africa has human rights laws that protect individuals, 'so that nobody takes anybody for granted'. 'What he did was tarnish my name and integrity, which I have worked hard to preserve. 'Goolam has labelled me as corrupt and part of state capture even though I am one of the few ministers to have left their post honourably,' said Sisulu. In his post on X, @Goolammv tweeted: 'Because an owner of a media house and another person that I have rightly called out have put a total of R3 million on my head, I have safely left the country. Will reach my final destination country tomorrow, which I will call home for a while. I will then continue doing what I was doing. We will go back. Stronger than ever. The Government of National Unity will take care of them.' ''If you are pro corruption, pro state capture and prefer South Africa collapsing, you will support Zweli Mkhize, Nkosazana Zuma and Lindiwe Sisulu',' Goolam said of Sisulu. 'One of the first things Zweli Mkhize, NDZ, or Lindiwe Sisulu will do if they become president is to disband the Investigating Directorate (ID),' Goolam had tweeted. 'Their only aim and objective is to stop the fight against corruption. President Ramaphosa must be fully protected and supported #Renew22,' read Goolam's X post.
