Lecturer denies running @Goolammv X account, says he fears for his life

JOHANNESBURG - The man accused of being the mastermind of a social media account known for spreading misinformation is crying foul and says he fears for his life.
 
On Monday, the Independent Media Group, which has been investigating the controversial account, held a media briefing where it revealed the identities of the people it believed were behind the X account, @Goolammv.
 
Among them is Mohammed Yacoob Vawda, a lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a part-time comedian.

"We can reveal the identity of the person behind Goolam-mv. The person behind this account is Mohammed Yacoob Vawda" said deputy editorial and content director, Mazwi Xaba.

The media company has accused Vawda of running a massive social media misinformation campaign, having links to high-level government officials and senior political leaders.

However, Vawda said he knew nothing about this and was confused when people started calling him on Monday saying that he was Goolam.

"At first, I was thinking it’s a joke or a prank or something and then I saw it was on IOL news and now I am fearful for my family and my kids because this is ridiculous. How can you make such massive allegations?"

The population studies lecturer has denied allegations that he’s linked to the account, saying he knew very little about politics and his comedy was usually about himself and his travels across the world.