A year later, still no arrest of ‘abusive’ Goolam Vawda

Law enforcement agencies have been criticised for their lack of efficiency in the high-profile social media abuse case involving former ANC MP Lindiwe Sisulu and Goolam Mohammed Sulimann Vawda. 

Sisulu laid a criminal complaint on July 21, 2024, at the Roodepoort police station against Vawda, who is believed to be behind the controversial X (formerly Twitter) handle @goolammv - a social media account accused of spreading hate speech, cyberbullying, and defamatory statements targeting political figures and private citizens alike.

On Monday, Sisulu’s lawyer, Barnabas Xulu, told Independent Media that police have been quiet since the criminal complaint was filed. 

"There has never been any development since the case was opened. These guys (police) have disappeared," he said. 

Asked what happened to the case, Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said police will revert with responses but could not comment at the time of publication. 

In her affidavit, Sisulu said Vawda has used his position on social media to denigrate her by mounting unjustified attacks that are highly defamatory.

She also said Vawda uses social media to perpetuate personal attacks that are based on false, derogatory and highly inflammatory language that target her political and standing.

She said this happened in a number of publications on social media.

Political analyst and governance expert Sandile Swana said the problem could be that police did not take the case seriously, adding that there is a lack of professionalism within the SAPS. 

During his testimony before a parliamentary committee and the Madlanga Commission, KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi  stated that there is a significant lack of professionalism in the South African Police Service (SAPS).

His accusations, made publicly in July 2025, sparked a political scandal that led to the judicial inquiry and parliamentary investigation into corruption and political interference within the criminal justice system.

Mkhwanazi highlighted a culture of impunity for misconduct and said that corrupt police members are protected. This has led to low morale among dedicated officers.

He also revealed that corrupt elements within the SAPS are protected by senior officials and have infiltrated law enforcement structures. 

"There is a total lack of professionalism and a decision not to pursue certain cases, even when they are proper cases. They are able to deprioritise certain cases because they lack professionalism," said Swana, who added that he is talking from experience. 

"You must remember that we have a problem of a police force that is infiltrated by criminal syndicates, and for a case to be prosecuted, it must have their approval and there is also corruption among prosecutors. The NPA is also infiltrated by criminals and we are also aware that the magistrates' courts are also infiltrated by criminals," said Swana, adding that police and prosecutors also collude to kill cases. 

An Afrobarometer survey in August 2024 revealed that only about a quarter of South Africans believe the police "often" or "always" act professionally and respectfully. A staggering 61% of citizens believe that "most" or "all" police are corrupt.

The 2025 data, compiled by David Bruce, an independent researcher and Institute of Security Studies consultant, found that no sanctions were applied in 77% of misconduct cases against police officers between 2019 and 2024, raising concerns about a lack of consequence management.

Cape Times