A Tinder profile photo of Dean Macpherson, the recently appointed Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, has become popular on social media.
And, like many South Africans, he is searching for love.
Macpherson is one of six DA ministers elected to cabinet posts. Others include Leon Schreiber (Home Affairs), John Steenhuisen (Agriculture), Dion George (Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment), Sivwe Gwarube (Basic Education), and Solly Malatsi (Communications and Digital Technologies).
A screenshot of Dean Macpherson’s Tinder profile from the X app went viral. It was also shared by EFF leader Julius Malema.
In the pic, the blonde and blue-eyed minister is seen enjoying a glass of beer at a bar.
According to his profile, Macpherson is listed as a 37-year-old gay man who splits his time between Durban and Cape Town. His likes include food, sunsets and walks on the beach.
This GNU DA minister is on Tinder..?Thixomazulu pic.twitter.com/cKBbcQMIcJ
— Tornado..Veteran 102 (@tyengeni1954) July 10, 2024
With the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure now being 39 years old, the screenshot was taken two years ago, before he was sworn into cabinet.
Ironically, in 2014, Dean Macpherson tweeted from his X account: “If you’re on Tinder, does that mean your life is basically over? Asking for a friend”.
If you're on Tinder does that mean your life is basically over? Asking for a friend.
— Dean Macpherson MP (@DeanMacpherson) April 20, 2014
As of February 2024, Tinder is the most dating app available, with over 530 million downloads worldwide.
According to The Conversation, the app has built a reputation for being more of a way to search for casual dating or short-term sexual partners than a means to find lasting love.
“Tinder still has a reputation for being a ‘hook-up’ app. Owing to its focus on pictures, physical attractiveness is the main way that users make decisions about matches.”
