That's the lesson DA leader Mmusi Maimane's had to find out the hard way. Viewed by many as the opposition party's attempt to replicate the rapid rise of Barack Obama, Maimane is also seen by some to be an empty vessel for other political interests.
The 35-year-old Maimane is his party's first black leader and drew wide praise for a speech he made to parliament earlier this year, in which he described president Jacob Zuma as a "broken man".
His communications team should perhaps have seen that now may not have been the best time to hold a Twitter town hall.
Nonetheless, they pressed ahead...
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