In hot water: Lindiwe Sisulu accused of hiring influencers ‘to promote her work’

If you’re a frequent Twitter user in Mzansi, it’s likely that you’ve seen one of your favourite accounts Tweet about the rather unglamorous Department of Human Settlements Budget Vote – or #DHSBudgetVote2021. It’s not the usual type of post you’d expect to see from our influencers, and it has directed a wave of criticism towards Lindiwe Sisulu.

Lindiwe Sisulu accused of ‘paying off’ influencers

The minister, already in a few bad books due to the Cuban engineers saga, delivered her much publicised speech on Tuesday. In the build-up, Twitter accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers spoke about the importance of this particular Budget Vote, marking a very noticeable shift towards politics in the process.

What excites me is that.. When this project starts.

Jobs opportunities will occur while people will be getting a shelter.

It's like hitting two birds with one stones…im optimistic about this one. #DHSBudgetVote2021 pic.twitter.com/jeIVfiPAvc

— ChrisExcel (@ChrisExcel102) May 18, 2021

‘It’s R200 Twitter!’ – Influencers ribbed for Budget Vote posts

Several other accounts followed suit, leading to accusations that Sisulu and her department had paid of some of the biggest social media stars in the domestic game to create a buzz around the speech. One SA Movement leader, Mmusi Maimane, hilariously quipped that those involved are part of ‘R200 Twitter’.

I believe it’s R200 twitter.

— Mmusi Maimane (@MmusiMaimane) May 18, 2021

Lindiwe Sisulu hails ‘amazing feats’ in free housing

The Budget Vote, which usually passes without fanfare, saw Lindiwe Sisulu laud the achievements of the department since the ANC assumed power, some 27 years ago. She branded SA ‘a world beater’ in delivering free housing.

“In total, between 1994 and today, we have been able to deliver just more than five million subsidised housing and housing opportunities. We can safely say that no other country has delivered this number of houses freely. We are very proud of our achievements. 35.1% of South African households have benefited from government’s housing interventions.”

“Out of 60 million people in our country, we have assisted more than 21 million people with housing and housing opportunities. This is an amazing feat for a technically young democracy such as ours.” | Lindiwe Sisulu