One little letter was almost the difference between another normal day in South Africa one filled with shock and horror at the assassination of President Jacob Zuma.
A number of Twitter users across the country mistakenly thought the President had been assassinated last night by unknown gunmen after they’d misread a few tweets stating that a certain Jacob Juma has been killed.
Jacob Juma, a Kenyan businessman reportedly implicated in a number of political and business-related scandals in the east African country over the years, was killed by unknown gunmen who fired around 10 shots into his luxury car late last night.
Kenyan Twitter has been flooded with theories over who killed Juma, as well as messages of anger and condolences, while further down south here at home, users have been left scratching their heads as the name Jacob Juma, which is trending across the country, has been mixed up with Jacob Zuma.
BREAKING: Jacob Juma has been shot and killed.
— #ConceptSixty5 (@Sentletse) May 6, 2016
@Sentletse I thought there was a God! Mnxa…
— Wenzile (@Muzi01) May 6, 2016
Jacob Zuma is dead?
— Thabang (@Thabangrey) May 6, 2016
I thought it was Jacob Zuma that died!
— Chuma (@Chu_moni) May 6, 2016
When I saw the tweets “Jacob Juma is dead” my mind read it as Jacob Zuma @XclusvB , #couldyouimagine
— Akhona Mabandla (@DocMabandla) May 6, 2016
I thought it was our Jacob Zuma??
— Miss Zinhle (@zinhle_says) May 6, 2016
Mzansi Twitter outchea confusing Jacob Juma with Jacob Zuma, Msholozi has nine lives he is not going anywhere.
— Regime Change Expert (@Marcellomj) May 6, 2016
@Sentletse Some sort of sick Friday joke?
— Brett Scheepers (@brettinlux) May 6, 2016
@brettinlux Can you read??
— Livhu (@lybonv4) May 6, 2016
Why are people getting all worked up? @Sentletse never said Zuma, he said Juma. Read properly people.
— Lunga (@Lunga_26) May 6, 2016
That Sad disappointing moment when u realize that its jacob juma who is assassinated not Jacob Zuma R.I.P
— Maxwell’s Work (@Muzzy_Mcklaren) May 6, 2016
This, is in fact, the Jacob Juma in question.
Businessman Jacob Juma shot dead by unknown gunmen in Nairobi in macabre murder https://t.co/aheIhBvwtD pic.twitter.com/1y8DiiopSP
— ktn (@KTNKenya) May 6, 2016
[Image – CC Government ZA]
