What’s going on with Mashaba’s retweet of a cartoon calling migrants ‘rubbish’?

Most well-versed Twitter users are familiar with the phrase “an RT is not an endorsement”, but it seems Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba missed this part of his introduction to social media.

RT is short for retweet, which is what one does when they wish to repost someone else’s tweet to their own profile. You have the option of retweeting a tweet without a caption or with a caption in the event that you wish to add additional information – such as a disclaimer or some context.

A screenshot of the mayor’s recent retweet of a Business Day cartoon depicting him carting a group of migrants (presumably undocumented) in a rubbish bin, accompanied by his likeness stating “…but I am cleaning up the rubbish” has now gotten the mayor in some hot water.

His contextless retweet has been understood as an endorsement of the message contained in the cartoon and a screenshot of the tweet has been shared a number of times.

https://twitter.com/hostilenativ/status/1055051370905169920

Wow! only you and @Our_DA would endorse a cartoon that refers to black immigrants as rubbish.🙄

— The Eazy Ed🌐 (@TheEazyEd) October 22, 2018

At the time of writing the initial tweet was still on Mashaba’s Twitter page, still sans context.

CARTOON: Herman Mashaba’s clean-up plan https://t.co/r7KkeaQZDO via @BDliveSA

— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) October 22, 2018

The tweet immediately drew a number of negative reactions due to followers viewing it as his support of the negative view of migrants. Mashaba received responses such as “Do you understand what you’ve retweeted?”, “It seems u like that xenophobjc cartoon. Its distastefull!!” and “This is in bad taste.”

Despicable representation . Period. And the Mayor himself retweeting it. The world of #Trump we are living in today. Unbelievable

— Mr. kalo | Mr. K™ (@vipkalombo) October 22, 2018

This is in bad taste. I understand cartooning is satirical, but referring to foreign people as rubbish…that is crossing the "Rwandan cockroach line" imho.

— Capt. Sudabebbie (@ZengFuey) October 23, 2018

This is distasteful

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— Faith (@Faye_Faye_m) October 23, 2018

https://twitter.com/katlimen/status/1054622931840589824

Do you understand what you've retweeted?

— Marchioness of Cholmondeley (@laurellobama) October 24, 2018

It took a day for Mashaba to respond to criticism surrounding the tweet and, even when he did respond, the focus of his response was in fact in line with anti-migrant sentiments.

I fully I agree with your interpretation. The cartoon and article are meant to distract us from facing our obvious challenges. According to these So-called experts, South Africans have no RIGHTS in their country of birth, https://t.co/pGFXgztEmD

— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) October 23, 2018

Why to you think you have right to decide for me? I have no knowledge of you asking me why I retweeted this cartoon meant to distract me from exposing the serious challenge my country is facing. Be an expect in your own views, not why other do what they do https://t.co/Ebura0mxQr

— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) October 23, 2018

Mashaba then tweeted about the latest development in the DA’s anti-migrant campaign stating that he had written to Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba “asking him, as a matter of urgency, to do an audit of undocumented people in Zandspruit”.

I wrote a letter to @HomeAffairsSA Minister yesterday, asking him, as a matter of urgency, to do an audit of undocumented people in Zandspruit. Eskom needs to provide electricity to our residents, but due to high concentration, they are unable to work.

— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) October 23, 2018

Mashaba asked Gigaba and his department to conduct an official inspection of a group of people who are untraceable by virtue of their undocumented status.

The mayor then dodged a barrage of questions from Twitter users about his view of migrants, deflecting attention to the creator of the cartoon instead.

Ask this simple question to the person behind the carton. You claim to be a clever man with all man’s problems https://t.co/vo16DibjKT

— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) October 23, 2018

Direct your question to the person behind the cartoon. Perhaps that is what he thinks https://t.co/CEu6PNdlXw

— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) October 23, 2018

He addressed the cartoon again today and said “this how this cartoonist & those who want to plunge our country into lawlessness view our immigrants”.

This how this cartoonist & those who want to plunge our country into lawlessness view our immigrants in @CityofJoburgZA. Very unfortunate & sad indeed. Their interpretation of good intentions https://t.co/jwRzoLZjJ4

— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) October 24, 2018

At no point has Mashaba explicitly stated that he does not agree with the views depicted in the cartoon, nor has he made it clear that the cartoon is not an accurate reflection of the DA’s stance on undocumented migrants.

It’s a move that may not bode well for the DA considering our nation’s xenophobic history, although tragically it may be a populist move meant to tap in to apparently permanently simmering xenophobia and the votes Mashaba may be hoping to attract with it.

Based on some responses to the tweet, Mashaba’s debatable endorsement of the cartoon has appealed to those who view it as a crackdown on all foreign nationals (not to be confused with undocumented migrants alone), but what about those who abhor this view of both undocumented migrants and foreign nationals based in South Africa?

2019 is for you Mr Mashaba

— King (@King48350094) October 22, 2018

Love your work… leadership should take notes

— Afrikanist (@SeepamoreP) October 22, 2018

Some of the contents in that bin you are pulling Mr Mayor belongs to a Dirt factory called Home Affairs,its headquarters are in Pretoria,its headed by a naturalised Zimbabwean migrant called Gigaba

— The Black Dog (@HMgxaji) October 23, 2018

Perhaps every political party, regardless of the size of their support bases, should introduce mandatory social media classes for their representatives and office bearers.

We cannot continue to let them make blunders on social media under the guise of not knowing any better.

Or maybe, far more sinisterly, he actually just means it.

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