BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– Forget Julius Malema, the Kingdom of Eswatini has its own popular politician and it is the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku.
According to social media statistics and analysis done by this publication with help from a social media expert, Masuku could get brands to pay him for his social media presence.
It was discovered on two social media platforms Facebook and Twitter that the average person bounces between seven different social networks per month, searching and reading on the DPM’s account or engaging with his social media accounts.
The amount of time internet users spend on social media is now higher than ever estimated to be 151 minutes per day.
When breaking this down social media expert and graduate Nkosazana Magagula said social media reach is the number of people who see the content posted across social media platforms.
It shows how users see and interact with the DPM’s content and in this case, it is also about the content posted about him.
“Mr. Masuku’s numbers are very impressive had he been a social media person or persona he would be making a lot of money. We all understand and researched that his numbers started peaking in 2020 when COVID-19 was at its peak,” she said.
In addition to that Magagula said people have a love-hate relationship with the DPM because no matter what happens they always tune in to hear what he has to say, which is a social media behavior that developed during the June 2021 unrest.
When a story using the DPM’s name or articles are run on social media they are said to record and average 400 000 reach.
Meanwhile, the DPM has always been vocal about practicing safe social media and he has a number of times revealed that at some point he had to lie low on the platforms because of the bullying and harassment he was facing, on these stats, he said social media was a powerful platform.
“I will always advocate for the safe use of social media and being kind to one another on social media as it costs nothing being kind,” said Masuku.
Meanwhile, the World Bank Wikipedia describes the DPM as Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku born July 7, 1950, he is an Eswatini politician who has served as DPM of Eswatini since 2018 and as Acting Prime Minister from time to time. Earlier, he served as DPM from 2008 until 2013.
He received his Master of Science degree from the University of Missouri. In the 1990s, he filled various posts in the government of Eswatini, including Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Minister for Economic Planning and Development, and Minister of Finance from 1996 to 1998. He then worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as director of the liaison offices in Geneva and later New York. He was appointed DPM by His Majesty King Mswati III and served in that position until 2013 when he became the regional administrator for the Shiselweni district.
Masuku returned to his position as DPM when Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini presented his cabinet in November 2018. He became acting prime minister after Dlamini’s death on December 13, 2020.
