Misleading narratives are inflaming tensions between Southern African Development Community and East African Community nations.
Misinformation and disinformation have surged at an alarming rate, fuelled by deliberate policy changes from major social media platforms and the emboldening of right-wing, anti-democratic forces. These actors — spanning from extremist political leaders to conservative commentators — strategically manipulate digital platforms to spread falsehoods, normalise hate speech, and undermine democratic institutions. I have witnessed firsthand how this information warfare erodes free speech, active citizenship, good governance and democracy in Southern Africa.
The intersection of misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech is no accident — it is a calculated effort to distort reality, incite division, and erode trust in democratic institutions. Digital platforms, particularly Twitter (now X), have abandoned meaningful content moderation, allowing harmful narratives to flourish unchecked. Meta’s recent decision to remove fact-checkers and loosen its content policies marks a devastating regression in the global fight against misinformation. These corporate decisions do not occur in a vacuum; they have direct, real-world consequences, particularly in developing nations where controlled press environments and weak media literacy already limit access to credible information.
For Southern Africa, the unchecked spread of disinformation directly threatens social stability. In a region still grappling with fragile democratic structures, misinformation fuels division, weakens trust in institutions and emboldens extremist groups seeking to destabilise governance. Right-wing, anti-human rights movements are leveraging these digital battlegrounds to spread xenophobic, homophobic, and racist rhetoric, often with devastating consequences for vulnerable people.
The Qwelane case is a stark warning of what happens when misinformation and hate speech are unchecked. Jon Qwelane’s homophobic column in 2008 was not just an opinion piece, it was an attack on fundamental human rights that reinforced dangerous stereotypes and emboldened discrimination. The South African constitutional court’s ruling that his statements constituted hate speech was a necessary step toward accountability, but this battle is far from won. Today, we are seeing a resurgence of similar tactics, often cloaked under the guise of free speech, to push anti-human rights agendas and weaken democratic norms.
This manipulation of information extends beyond social commentary; it is increasingly weaponised to incite violence, destabilise governments, and erode democratic principles. The war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a prime example of how unchecked disinformation can fuel regional instability, with misleading narratives inflaming tensions between Southern African Development Community and East African Community nations. Similarly, in South Africa, right-wing organisations have weaponised misinformation to falsely claim that the Expropriation Act is a tool for state-sponsored land grabs, inciting racial divisions and economic panic.
Make no mistake: this is not simply a crisis of misleading content but an existential threat to democracy. Social media algorithms are designed to maximise engagement, prioritise sensationalised falsehoods over verified truth, and amplify the voices of extremists while silencing those advocating for justice and human rights. In this climate, the work of independent journalists, fact-checkers and civil society organisations is essential for the survival of democratic governance.
Addressing this crisis requires more than isolated interventions; it demands coordinated, strategic collaboration among governments, civil society, media institutions and international stakeholders. We must push for stronger regulatory frameworks that hold social media corporations accountable for spreading the content they allow. Governments must resist the temptation to exploit misinformation for political gain and instead invest in strengthening independent journalism and digital literacy programmes.
If we allow misinformation to go unchallenged, we risk plunging our young democracies into chaos. But if we stand together — holding digital platforms, political leaders and propagandists accountable — we can turn the tide against this crisis and safeguard the future of our democratic institutions. The time to act is now.
Melusi Simelane is the Civic Rights Cluster Programme manager at the Southern Africa Litigation Centre. www.southernafricalitigationcentre.org