Nene: The Tweets that made us laugh (and cry)

Shock, dismay, and outrage have been just a few of the reactions South Africans have had to former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene’s dismissal on Wednesday. Nene’s removal is no laughing matter, but as always, beleaguered South Africans turned to humour to ease the burden as they watched the rand fall. 

The news hit the Twittersphere hard on Wednesday evening, where commentators began digging into the reasons for Nene’s removal. The news was a shock given that Nene had been sacked midterm after just 19 months in his position as finance minister.
Arguably, the worst reaction came in the form of the rand, which plummeted when news of Nene’s removal went public. The Twitterati mourned into their keyboards as they watched the currency fall.

#Nene pic.twitter.com/6F2bAUC9Zu

— Paul Berkowitz (@paulyberk) December 9, 2015

South Africans lamented Nene’s removal with nostalgia over his most memorable moments in government: like that time he fell off his chair in an SABC interview. Despite the teasing, many South Africans also lambasted President Zuma’s dismissal of Nene, speculating it was because the former finance minister took national airline SAA to task for irresponsible finance management. The timing of Nene’s dismissal came just a week after Nene shot down SAA’s airbus bid – a move which drew much support. 

But the exact time everyone knew about the minister’s sacking was around 8pm on Wednesday, which got people criticising President Zuma’s awkward timing, because how must one back one’s desk so late at night?

Goodbye sir   #NhlanhlaNene pic.twitter.com/tYSJ41BhZc

— Drogon (@Superbad_X) December 9, 2015

So Nhlanhla Nene gonna pack his desk in the morning or what? How do you get sacked at 8pm

— El’ Sihle Mlambo (@SihleSays) December 9, 2015

The news that ANC MP David van Rooyen would take over Nene’s footsteps didn’t do much to comfort South Africans on Twitter. Many of them confusedly asked who this van Rooyen chap is. Nene was the first black South African to hold the position of finance minister, and although van Rooyen will become the second, his name provoked some serious side-eye, before his picture went viral. 

Still, the details around why van Rooyen had been chosen to replace Nene were a mystery. Instead of spending too much time speculating, South Africans did what they do best – found a theme song to their struggle.

When your face says ‘Nkosi sikelel’ but your name says ‘Uit die blou van onse helmel’ pic.twitter.com/03ilHGvCrK

— Season 3 (@walliesta) December 9, 2015

I see Nene is replaced by the Whip… Guess we have the Whip but no Nae Nae… #WatchMe #WatchMe

— Koshiek Karan (@iamkoshiek) December 9, 2015

In true Twitter fashion a David van Rooyen parody account popped up almost immediately. Sensing the doubt South Africans had in his ability to take the nation forward, the fake van Rooyen profile sent out a tweet to reassure.

Everybody just chill. I got this.

— David van Rooyen (@daviddvanrooyen) December 9, 2015

But perhaps the van Rooyen parody account’s attempt to reassure, actually had some people Googling when the next flight leaves South Africa.

Funny story: #Nenefired hits the news, and google ads started showing emigration/expat ads. Seriously. #NotFunny

— Sarah Wild (@sarahemilywild) December 9, 2015

Speculation is continuing to mount about who will be axed next in the cabinet, with Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande taking most of the heat. 2016 may be a year for job hunting for one of these ministers, but the plot twists have yet to be revealed.

Morning fam. Have we lost Blade yet or do we need to wait for tonight’s episode of Generations to find out?

— S’thembile Cele (@SthembileCel) December 10, 2015

Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t all fun and games in the Twitterati, especially when businessman Glenn Agliotti invoked the proverb that everything was better in the good old days. The apartheid days, that is.

The apartheid era sucked but give credit where due. The infrastructure worked the economy was good the Rand was strong. Give me explanation

— Glenn Agliotti (@GlennAgliotti) December 10, 2015

Meanwhile analyses are pouring in around Nene’s dismissal, the state of the economy, and what it will mean for the ANC. There’s only one immediate analysis that really matters, though.

The JSE https://t.co/y962cHORMm

— Ryan Cummings (@Pol_Sec_Analyst) December 10, 2015