Twitter users lambast Letsosa

MASERU – TWITTER streets are not for the faint-hearted. Rub people the wrong way and they will savage you with vitriol and insults.

What makes it brutal is the cover of anonymity.

Twitter responses can be like blows in a mob attack: You don’t know who has hit you. It’s an angry space for people to vent out from behind the curtain.

That was the hard reality that the Democratic Congress (DC)’s deputy leader Motlalentoa Letsosa found out last weekend when he aimed a dig at the Sam Matekane government.

In a Twitter post, Letsosa quoted his leader Mathibeli Mokhothu saying the “government is in the hands of the rich who aim at nothing but self-enrichment”.

Letsosa was quoting the speech that Mokhothu delivered at the DC elective conference in Matsieng over the weekend.

Twitter users, most of whom appear to be Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) members or sympathisers, instantly descended on Letsosa with insults and venom.

Most of the responses to his tweet reminded Letsosa of his party’s rather mediocre stint in government.

Some accused the DC of looting government funds while others were vile and personal in their attacks against Letsosa.

Some said Letsosa should not blame rich people for being elected to rule the country because the poor like him have disappointed voters who trusted them.

Only one out of 54 replies defended him.

One of Letsosa’s critics, @Mohalenyane1, said it is much better when the government is in the hands of the rich “than being in the hands of the corrupt leaders who are thieves”.

Mohalenyane said some of the poor leaders were found guilty of theft by courts of law and “would do nothing but steal and embezzle public funds for their selfish interests”.

@Lengau_11 asked: “What has the administration of the poor that has just passed done to ensure that they line their pockets with money for themselves and those close to them?”

“Ea pota ngoetsi (The daughter-in-law is talking nonsense),” said one Tlou Maime,

The phrase is mockingly referring to Puseletso Seema’s mid-2000 hit Ea pota ngoetsi in which she says her imaginary daughter-in-law is accusing her of witchcraft while in fact, she is the witch.

Ever since the release of the song, “ea pota ngoetsi” has become a common refrain against anyone perceived to be talking drivel.

Another Twitter user said before last October’s parliamentary election Letsosa and his DC were sure of victory and now that they were defeated they are “a jealous opposition”.

Relebohile Matekane, whose relationship with Prime Minister Matekane could not be established, responded with laughing emojis before texting: “Says a thief who stole millions of public funds”.

Bonang, whose Twitter username is Illegal Wife, said: “Y’all cleaned the public purse for your own enrichment!! Be shy!!!”

Moeketsi Khobotlo mocked Letsosa and his leader Mokhothu for not making Basotho rich when they were in power but bought fat cakes and distributed them to voters in various constituencies during the election campaign.

“Did you make Basotho rich in your administration Your Honour? Ooh! With fat cakes lol!” Khobotlo tweeted. .

Lemo, another critic, tweeted “Let’s try the rich. The poor impoverished this country for decades. Let’s see what the rich can do”.

El Mencho said Letsosa and his party have had their “time to lick alone and now it’s time to sit on the bench and watch others as they lick”

“There is a time for everything under the sun. Very unfortunately this is not your time so just sit down and stop whining sir,” he said.

The Hitman asked: “If we can investigate how you have what you have and your friends… will you not run away?”

Letsosa however appeared to take the backlash on the chin.

“That’s the nature of social media. That doesn’t bother me,” he said when contacted by thepost this week.

Letsosa is one of the few politicians consistently active on Twitter.

He doesn’t pull punches even as his posts are met with stinging and vulgar replies. Lesotho has about 23 000 Twitter accounts.

This is compared to the nearly 500 000 Facebook accounts.

Twitter is widely seen as an elitist space.

Staff Reporter