Independent Media has brought to light significant new findings in their investigation of the notorious @Goolammv X (formerly Twitter) account.
Goolam Mohammed Sulieman Vawda, 49, was revealed as the person behind the sock puppet account that has been terrorising politicians, individuals and entities since 2018.
This is the first time since the inception of the account that the person behind it has been revealed.
“On Monday, we held a media conference aimed at exposing commentators actively engaged in subverting South Africa’s democracy,” said Independent Media Editor-in-Chief Adri Senekal De Wet. “We revealed that the @Goolammv account is a sock puppet operated by an individual with connections to high-profile politicians and senior government officials.”
Vawda, who hails from KwaZulu-Natal, frequently travels between Gauteng and the Western Cape. His political journey has been marked by dramatic shifts, initially supporting former President Jacob Zuma, then Cyril Ramaphosa, and now aligning with the DA/ANC GNU.
Further investigations revealed Vawda's collaborations with various media houses and social media accounts, as well as his maintained relationships with senior officials in both the ANC and DA.
Investigators tracked the phone number linked to the @Goolammv account and connected it to several email addresses. Additionally, Vawda was linked to properties in Winterton and Morningside in KwaZulu-Natal, and Tshwane in Gauteng.
Efforts to obtain comments from Vawda before publishing these findings were made, but were unsuccessful.