Who is the real person behind the @DoBetterNMB X Account??
The above is the question we posed to X’s AI Agent, Grok, after our @MyPE account was followed by @DoBetterNMB.
Now it is a well known ‘thing’ that we at @MyPE troll the timelines of all that follow @MyPE looking for an uplifting phrase/post/image to showcase to our 7 570 followers. Did I mention that the number of people that we had to follow in order to gain that many followers is ZERO, NADA, NIKS, FOKOL?
Inspired by another set of followers who were asking Grok just who @ChrisExcel102 was (* See the bottom of this article for the answer and WHY we think it relevant to our neck of the woods), we ran the same query on the @DoBetterNMB X account.
Grok had this to say about @DoBetterNMB:
The @DoBetterNMB account on X (formerly Twitter) is a relatively new and low-profile profile focused on local issues in Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB), a metropolitan municipality in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province (including cities like Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth). Created in late 2025 (exact date not publicly specified in available data), it has 0 followers, no following, and minimal engagement as of November 24, 2025. Its bio reads: “Highlighting Infrastructure, Service Delivery, Politicians, Officials, Parties and Residents that COULD DO BETTER. Share to @DoBetterNMB.
“The account primarily operates by quoting or replying to local news, municipal announcements, and community posts about topics like crime, power outages, water crises, policing, bribery scandals, protests, and infrastructure failures. It uses the hashtag #DoBetterNMB to tag these, positioning itself as a watchdog for accountability.
Examples include:
- Commenting on a stabbing incident in Zwide, Gqeberha: “#DoBetterNMB”
- Highlighting a power outage in areas like Fitches Corner and Thornhill: “#DoBetterNMB”
- Reposting about high crime rates in NMB: “#DoBetterNMB”
- Critiquing a “suspicious” flood damaging audit documents: “Reminds me of the old joke… #DoBetterNMB”
- Noting broken traffic lights: “#DoBetterNMB”
This style mirrors the more established @DoBetterDnvr account (Denver, Colorado), which crowdsources videos of urban issues like homelessness and crime to pressure local government.
@DoBetterNMB appears to be a localized adaptation for South African civic engagement.
Who Is Behind the Account?
Despite extensive searches across X posts, user data, and web sources, the real person (or people) behind @DoBetterNMB remains anonymous and unidentified.
Here’s a breakdown of the findings:
Account Anonymity: No name, location, or personal details are linked in the profile, posts, or metadata.
It doesn’t follow or interact with individuals in a way that reveals ownership—most activity is one-way quoting of public news sources (e.g., @IOL, @HeraldNMB, @NMandelaBaymuni).
No Public Revelations or Doxings: Unlike @DoBetterDnvr, which was investigated and partially “outed” by The Denver Post in August 2025 as involving multiple contributors (including semi-public figures like a journalism professor and others turned into “partial public figures” through their activism), no similar reporting exists for @DoBetterNMB.
Web searches for “DoBetterNMB identity,” “who runs DoBetterNMB,” or related terms yield zero results tying it to a specific individual. General guides on unmasking anonymous X accounts (e.g., using OSINT tools like X-Ray Contact or subpoenas) exist but haven’t been applied here publicly.
Potential Motivations and Speculation: Based on post patterns, the operator seems to be a concerned NMB resident, activist, or journalist frustrated with local governance. Posts show familiarity with the area (e.g., referencing specific suburbs like Zwide or Thornhill) but no insider leaks that would point to a politician, official, or business owner. It could be run by one person or a small group, similar to @DoBetterDnvr’s model. The account’s youth (posts start around mid-November 2025) and zero traction suggest it’s not yet influential enough for scrutiny.
Challenges in Identification: X’s privacy features, lack of engagement, and the account’s focus on public news make it hard to trace without legal tools (e.g., subpoenas for IP logs). No replies, mentions, or threads discuss its owner. Semantic searches for “DoBetterNMB account owner” only surface unrelated posts about fake or impersonator accounts elsewhere.
* According to Grok the real identity of @ChrisExcel102 is widely speculated to be Azola Christopher Tabane, a South African man from Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha) in the Eastern Cape. However, this has never been officially confirmed by the account owner, who maintains strict anonymity and denies associations with fake or backup profiles (e.g., explicitly stating in 2024 that @ChrisExcel103 is not theirs and is run by a Nigerian). Tabane is described in reports as a controversial figure in his 20s (rumors suggest around 25 in 2023), known for online provocation before the account’s rise.
