The Silent Account: Notorious Social Media Figure Found Dead in Sandton Hotel

The digital noise has stopped. The @goolamv X account, a relentless source of vitriolic political commentary, fell silent on January 18. This week, the man widely believed to be behind it, Goolam Mohammed Suliman Vawda, was found dead in a Sandton hotel room. The cacophony of insults, smear campaigns, and partisan defence that defined his online persona has been replaced by the quiet procedural language of a police inquest.

Gauteng police confirmed they opened an inquest docket after a 50 year old man was discovered deceased on the morning of January 27. While authorities have not formally identified the deceased, multiple sources close to ongoing investigations have named him as Vawda. The cause of death remains unknown, pending post mortem results.

A Legacy of Legal Woes and Online Warfare

Vawda’s death brings a sudden end to a turbulent chapter of South Africa’s often toxic social media political scene. His account was no mere critic’s platform. It was a weapon accused of launching campaigns of cyberbullying, hate speech, and defamation against a wide range of figures. His targets spanned the political spectrum, from former President Jacob Zuma and EFF leader Julius Malema to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

He reserved particular venom for former minister Lindiwe Sisulu, who filed a criminal complaint against him in July 2024 for what she termed “unjustified and highly inflammatory” attacks. Vawda had accused her of being “pro corruption” and alleged she would dismantle anti graft bodies if she ever held power. He framed these attacks as a defence of President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC’s renewal agenda, simultaneously attacking some while fiercely protecting others, including Secretary General Fikile Mbalula.

A Pending Reckonning Cut Short

The timing of his death is striking. Sources indicate Vawda was actively engaged with law enforcement, not as a complainant, but as a suspect. One individual who had opened a defamation case against him revealed that police had contacted Vawda recently for a statement. According to this source, Vawda told officers he was unwell and would engage later. Police had reportedly been attempting to locate him just before his body was found.

This suggests a looming legal reckoning that will now never come to pass. The criminal cases, including Sisulu’s, remain open, but the primary accused is gone.

A Complicated Legacy and a Stoic Response

The reaction to his passing has been as complex as his online persona. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, a frequent target, offered condolences to Vawda’s family in a statement that subtly acknowledged their fraught history. “You may have insulted me and used your handle as a propaganda weapon, but I will not stoop low. May your family be consoled,” Lesufi said.

His words capture the dilemma Vawda’s death presents. It is a human tragedy for his family, yet it also closes the book on a source of significant distress for many public and private figures he targeted. The police investigation will seek to determine the physical cause of death in that Sandton room. But the broader story of Goolam Vawdathe impact of his words, the nature of online anonymity, and the limits of political discourseis one South Africa’s digital public square is left to grapple with on its own. The account is silent, but the echoes of its messages linger.