Johannesburg Woman Behind Inciting Violence on Twitter Identified, Hawks Issue Warning
- The Hawks are on the trail of people who used their social media platforms to spread messages that led to violence during the unrest
- The Hawks have arrested a 36-year-old woman who used her Twitter account to spread messages that led to the looting of a mall
- The woman from Johannesburg is said to have shared content with over 60 000 followers that led to the burning down of a mall in Pietermaritzburg
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JOHANNESBURG - The Hawks have issued a stark warning to South Africans against using social media platforms to incite violence, stating that legal action will be issued against those who use their platforms to encourage violence.
This warning comes after a Johannesburg woman who used the Twitter handle @African Soil - Sphithiphithi Evaluator was arrested and charged with inciting violence. The woman behind the account was found to be 36-year-old Zamaswazi Zinhle Majozi, according to a report by SowetanLIVE.
Source: Getty Images
Majozi joins a list of 18 people who have now been arrested for instigating the violent protest that took over KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July.
Colonel Katlego Mogale, Hawks spokesperson stated that Majozi's actions on social media led to the burning down of Brookside Mall in Pietermaritzburg. Mogale says she shared content to her 69 000 followers that led to looting and destruction of property.
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Mogale states that Majozi was apprehended after the Hawks used specific keywords to search for accounts that spread messages regarded as incitement of violence, according to EWN.
She warned that the Hawks would be using this method to find others who may have spread messages of violence and their posts will be used as evidence against them.
Court grants alleged unrest instigator bail, bars accused from all social media activity
Briefly News previously reported that Themba Mnisi, one of the alleged masterminds of the scenes of violence and public looting that sent shockwaves across South Africa in July, has been released on bail by the Vereeniging Magistrate's Court.
Mnisi was granted R40 000 bail and ordered to refrain from all social media activity, including WhatsApp, where he allegedly mobilised for police officers to be disarmed and attacked in their homes.
In the accused's first appearance in court, the court heard that he allegedly called for police stations to be torched, per a News24 report.
Briefly News understands Mnisi, who is the ANC organiser in the Sedibeng Region, was instructed to report to the nearest police station three times a week.
Source: Briefly News
