Trend Report: Zuma can't count, SABC can't spell - but we're still proudly South African

Jay-Z can’t math…

Another Trend Report, another viral Jacob Zuma story. This time though, it was the South African president’s mathematical abilities that were called into question.

On Sunday evening, while giving his closing speech at the ANC National General Council, Zuma attempted to explain the decrease in ANC members. And let’s just say that he screwed it up royally, to be politically correct.

He read out 769 870 as, and I quote: “Seven-hundred and sixty-nine, eight-hundred and…seven-hundred and…listen properly, seven-hundred and sixty-nine thousand, eight-hundred and twenty *clears throat* and seventy members from one-hundred point two-million in 2012.”

And before he could adjust his glasses with that notorious middle finger, a video of the fumble had gone viral. Watch the video here.

SABC Sport vs the spelling police

Earlier this week, @SPORTATSABC made a slight spelling mistake – depending on how you look at it. But it blew up.

An argument about the correct spelling of the word ‘highlights’ (SABC tweeted ‘hilites’) turned into the perfect example of how not to handle customer relations.

After @BewareDOG1 tweeted about the spelling mistake, SABC Sport direct messaged him in an attempt to school him on Twitter 101. But it back-fired. @BewareDOG1 tweeted a screen shot of said message for all to see, perfectly hiliting just how quickly private can become public.

Our Twitter 101 advice to SABC Sport’s social media manager: don’t take things so personally.

Oscar’s great escape

The fact that Twitter explodes just about every time Oscar Pistorius sneezes is nothing new. But this week, it was announced that the blade-runner will be released from jail on Tuesday, 20 October under house arrest after serving 364 days of his five-year sentence for the murder of his girlfriend in 2013.

But as journalist Barry Bateman pointed out, house arrest is not exactly going to be that unpleasant for the athlete. “He gets to chill in a plush mansion and play X-box all day,” he tweeted.

Man, I would give both my legs to be ordered by a court to stay at home for a year…in a mansion no less.

But what about that ankle bracelet?

That’s it for our proudly South African Trend report. ‘Til next week …

*Image credit: Jerm