Razzle-dazzle, Twitter and trouble

[UJ]( [Mail & Guardian Newsletter logo](#) [mg.co.za]( [The Ampersand Daily Newsletter from the M&G team](#) [Divider Strip] October 13 2020 | [View in browser]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( Hi there, Last week we told you a little bit about theMail & Guardian'sQ&A Sessions -- a new feature where we have sit downs with interesting South Africans. Today, we want to go a step further and invite you to participate in our next Q&A. We want to hear from you. Send us your questions and we will ask them. This week's chat promises to be a doozy: we will be talking to none other than Mr Razzmataz Fikile Mbalula. Needless to say it's quite timeous, too. Yesterday, our minister of transport absolutely unleashed on Twitter, sending a volley of barbs at the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans' Association (MKMVA) leaders. Even by his standards it was quite something: he labelled Carl Niehaus and Kebby Maphatsoe thugs and suggested they are coming after him because he closed the taps to their "milking cow", the passenger rail agency Prasa. In the bigger picture, the attack is another skirmish that highlights the increasing divisions in the ANC and perhaps an extension of the anxieties at play since the Hawks began swooping in to make arrests. And there is ample reason for those in the governing party [to be very nervous](. Mbalula has long been social media Marmite; you either love or detest his ability to tweet on the job. He undoubtedly has a flair for eliciting a reaction. But we cannot forget his alleged involvement in some rather questionable dealings. There was that time during his stint as police minister when he urged South Africans to download an app by radio personality Tbo Touch to help fight crime. But the [backstory of the app's conception]( is rather bloody. Then there was the time public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane found that [Mbalula had lied]( when he said he entered into a loan agreement with the sportswear and equipment company, Sedgars Sport, to cover costs for the 2016 Dubai Christmas trip he took with his family. Fast forward to August this year when he concocted a daring plan to save the taxi industry: a co-operative bank owned by taxi operators. ANC insiders at the time told the that this was a revolutionary move and would change the industry. In short, Mbalula rarely operates in half measures. If you've ever wondered what went through his head during these incidents, now is the time to ask. Send your questions to EditorOnline@mg.co.za and we will pass them on. Until tomorrow, Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Divider Strip] [Danone]( [Divider Strip] [MG public servants]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( You are receiving this email on {EMAIL} because 1.) You're a member of "Mail & Guardian" or 2.) previously subscribed [M&G logo] 25 Owl St, Braamfontein Werf, Johannesburg, 2092 Want to be removed? No problem! [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Email support: help@media-connect.co.za - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -