From Mmusi Maimane’s Punchlines to DJ Tintswalo: South Africa Finds the Funny Side of the 2024 Elections
What is Mzansi without a few laughs in the most serious of moments?
From cueing till the wee hours of Thursday morning to exercise their democratic right to vote to expressing voter dissatisfaction on social media, South African citizens came out all guns blazing for the 2024 general national and provincial elections on the 29th of May 2024.
Amid the seriousness of events, such as mounting universal frustration with the IEC’s lack of preparation for the elections resulting in voters being turned away and systems glitching (causing more delays in voting stations countrywide), Mzansi folks were vocal about their political feelings, the fevour migrating to the online world. As South Africans would have it, there was room for jests and lampooning as the country finds itself at a historic crossroads.
Mmusi Maimane Dragging the ANC and Alleged “Beneficiaries”
Former DA leader and current head honcho and founder of BOSA Mmusi Maimane has been firing shots on X, particularly aimed at the ANC. From punchlines aimed at Loot Love to throwing shots at ANC’s current Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, Maimane had the X streets and quote tweets in stitches with zesty wit, insult humour, and politically-savvy gags.
In the tweet below, Mmusi can be seen dissing musician and TV personality Stoan, who used to be part of South African band Bongo Maffin, for endorsing the ANC.
Who Is “DJ Tintswalo”?
If you’ve been on elections side of X long enough, you might have stumbled across the “DJ Tintswalo” gag. Stoked once again by Mmusi Maimane, Kunye pioneer and globe-trotting musician DJ Shimza found himself having to duck head shots from tweeps after getting branded as an ANC beneficiary. The gags came in thick and fast after Shimza posted a video of himself DJing at a gig with the otherwise damning caption: “An ANC Beneficiary at work”. After vouching for the ANC with a colour-coded hearts post, Mmusi struck again nicknaming him “DJ Tintswalo”.
“DJ Tintswalo wama tender. You have more tenders than hits,” Mmusi said via his X account.
Ntsiki Mazwai added salt to the wound, posting: “DJ Tintswalo, vele what is his hit songs[SIC]???”
@kay_mahapa posted: “It has been an eventful day but Mmusi calling Shimza DJ Tintswalo, is definitely my highlight.”
Musician and renowned dancer Robot Boii also joined in on the elections tomfoolery, poking fun at the IEC website’s voter registration tab. Toying with the reCaptcha system and braiding it with clever worldplay involving his stage name, he circled the part written “I’m not a robot”, with the caption “First Problem…”. It’s a chuckle-inducing dad joke at best, but with tensions running high, Robot Boii’s comic relief brought about a much-needed laugh.
With the election results slowly trickling in, South Africa waits with bated breaths for the future to unfold. Until then, we relish the moments of laughter which make Mzansi the humourous nation it’s know to be.
Which election gag was your favourite?