#Get to know your MPs in the Twittersphere

The People’s Assembly website has been set up to bridge the divide between ordinary citizens and their elected representatives. One of the ways we do this is by providing contact details- this includes parliamentary office numbers, constituency office numbers and personal cell phone numbers- of MPs.

However in this technological age, there is another direct way of getting hold of your MPs. Many active MPs are using social media to stay in contact with citizens. Twitter, specifically, has become a place where MPs can further their party’s message, tweet about their grievances, tell you is what’s happening in Parliament regarding legislation and debates, and comment on remarks made by fellow MPs or opposition MPs. However, closer inspection has also shown that there is more finger-pointing going on between MPs on Twitter than information sharing sometimes.

To date, the Democratic Alliance has the most MPs active on Twitter, followed very closely by the ANC and then the minority parties.

The DA’s Lindiwe Mazibuko holds the distinction of being South Africa’s most popular MP on Twitter, with 114 000 followers. The Minister for Public Enterprises, Malusi Gigaba, is possibly the ANC’s most popular Twitter user aside from President Zuma (313 000 followers), with 63 200 followers. Both he and Mazibuko are known for engaging with citizens and other MPs, responding to tweets from interested citizens across the country. They also tweet regularly about their personal lives giving their followers unique insight into who they are as individuals.

In terms of individual party Twitter accounts, the ANC leads the pack with 104 000 followers, with DA a distant second with 65 900 followers. Surprisingly, AGANG, who has not been on Twitter for long, has gained quite a large number of followers, coming in third with 42 100 followers. The ACDP leads the minority parties with 6 304 followers, then the Freedom Front with 3 968 and COPE comes in at the bottom with 1 542 followers.

Some of the most interesting MPs to follow on twitter are the ANC’s Annelize van Wyk, the DA’s Ian Ollis, the DA’s Diane Kohler-Barnard and the UDM leader, Bantu Holomisa. They are all not shy to stir debate engage in robust exchanges with their followers.

However, MPs do not always trend for the right reasons such as sparking an interesting debate.

The DA’s Tim Harris who is the Shadow Minister for Finance in the Western Cape, made quite a stir in the “Twittersphere” after the State of the Nation Address, with citizens (of the mostly female persuasion) calling for him to be the new face of the DA. This had less to do with his speech at the SONA debate, and more to do with the general appeal of his face.

Social media such as Twitter has made it so much easier for citizens to get to know their MPs. Take full advantage of what the medium has to offer – there is scope for better constituent engagement, information-sharing, and debating. Get to know your MP, let them know what the big issues are, but most importantly, let them get to know you as well. We have never had such direct access to our parliamentarians as we do now.

List of MPs on Twitter:

ANC

• John Jeffery (ANC) - @JhjSA
• Lumka Yengeni (ANC) @Lumka_Yengeni
• Gloria Borman (ANC) - @gloriabormanMP
• Ben Martins (ANC) - @dikobebm
• Obed Bapela (ANC) - @ObedBapela
• Annelize van Wyk (ANC) - @annelizevanwyk
• Maggie Makhotso (ANC) @Maggie_Sotyu
• Sisa Njiks Njikelana (ANC) @SNjikelana
• Marius Fransman (ANC) - @MariusFransman
• Buti Manamela (ANC) - @ButiManamela
• Malusi Gigaba (ANC) - @mgigaba
• Dion George (ANC) - @diontgeorge
• Stevens Mokgalapa (ANC) - @smokgalapa
• ST Ndabeni-Abrahams (ANC) - @Stellarated
• Hendrietta Zulu (ANC) - @BogopaneZulu
• Dipuo Peters (ANC) - @DipuoPeters
• Cedric T. Frolick (ANC) - @cfrolick
• Tokyo Sexwale (ANC) - @SexwaleTokyo
• Derek Hanekom (ANC) - @Derek_Hanekom
• Mmamoloko Kubayi (ANC) - @mmkubayi
• Andries Nel (ANC) - @umrabulo
• Ayanda Dlodlo (ANC) DM_AyandaDlodlo

DA

• James Robert Lorimer (DA) – @JamesRLorimer
• Annette Steyn (DA) - @AnnetteSteyn1
• Patricia Kopane (DA) - @PatriciaKopane
• Natasha Michael (DA) - @NatashaMichael3
• James Selfe (DA) - @JAMESSELFE3
• Jacques Smalle (DA) - @JacquesSmalle
• Dianne KohlerBarnard (DA) - @DKB20
• Lindiwe Mazibuko (DA) - @LindiMazibuko
• John Steenhuisen MP (DA) - @jsteenhuisen
• Tim Harris (DA) - @timharris
• Alf Lees (DA) - @SquireLees
• Wilmot James (DA) - @wilmotjames
• Annelie Lotriet (DA) - @AnnelieLotriet
• Annette Lovemore (DA) - AnnetteLovemore
• Ian Ollis (DA) - @ianollis
• Juanita Terblanche (DA) - @JFTerblanche
• Pieter van Dalen MP (DA) - @PietervanDalen
• Debbie SchaferMP (DA) - @DebbieSchafer
• David Maynier MP (DA) - @DavidMaynier
• Geordin Hill-Lewis (DA) - @geordinhl
• Kevin Mileham (DA) - @kmileham
• Marian Shinn (DA) - @ShinnMarian
• Elza van lingen (DA) - @Elza_Van_Lingen

Minority Parties:

• Mosiuoa Lekota (COPE) - @TerrorLekota
• Bantu Holomisa (UDM) - @BantuHolomisa
• Nqabayomzi Kwankwa (UDM) - @N_Kwankwa
• Corné_Mulder (FF+) - @MulderCorn
• Anton Alberts (FF+) - @AntonAlberts
• Pieter Mulder (FF+) - @pieter_mulder
• Wayne Thring (ACDP) - @WayneThring
• Cheryllyn Dudley (ACDP) - @cheryllyndudley
• Mkhuleko Hlengwa MP (IFP) - @MkhulekoHlengwa