According to experts, propagandists and scammers use xenophobia as well as frustrations over dilapidated infrastructure to spread disinformation before South Africa tightest elections since 1994. Due to high unemployment rates, mounting xenophobic attacks, rampant energy outages and allegations of widespread graft, the ANC party may be unable to secure an outright majority in the May 29 vote.
AFP Fact Check found false claims about the election flooding social media. For instance, there were AI-generated images indicating unsafe roads in Cape Town where opposition allegedly runs; parties being accused of supplying illegal foreigners with counterfeit documents. “It causes a lot of concern that as we move closer to elections, xenophobic conversations are on the rise,” said Dale McKinley from Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia which is part of an international anti-racism network.
Foreigners taking jobs from locals, straining healthcare systems and causing crime are some common themes. He added “These are lies but they spread and all the stereotypes become greenlit in that context.”
Despite having one of the world’s highest unemployment rates, South Africa attracts many economic migrants from elsewhere on the continent. This has resulted into sporadic orgy’s of anti-immigrant violence in recent years because of immigration coupled with terrible economic forecasts. In addition, the presidential candidates have fed off these online hate speech and disinformation by using it against foreigners for reasons ranging from blame on foreign nations for African crisis respectively (Human Rights Watch; May 2019).
According to supporters of Operation Dudula also known as anti-xenophobic group who posted their messages online; EFF made fake IDs for undocumented migrants so that it could get more votes than any other political opponent during this year’s election exercise. The photographs were however taken at a different location entirely unrelated with these reports.
Many registered voters say poor public service delivery is one of their top concerns in South Africa which has more than 27 million voters. Its decaying infrastructure ranges from railroads and highways to ports and power plants in Africa’s most industrialized economy. Consequently, it is common for the country’s 62 million inhabitants to go without water supply or suffer blackouts.
The ANC party in South Africa has been grappling with this problem which began during its government due to several corruption scandals that have affected the society today (white minority rule) since democracy’s advent in 1994. This crisis has also been exploited by people on social media seeking to tarnish or elevate the ruling party. “This kind of misinformation misleads the public and creates a false perception of a politician’s or party’s accomplishments,” Clifford of Africa Check said.
An FB post that was shared thousands times falsely claimed that there was an unfinished public toilet project under the ANC leadership. Another picture showed very large potholes in Cape Town running down by opposition Democratic Alliance. The analysis indicated that AI tool had made this image.
William Gumede, a political analyst, says that “exaggerating achievements while minimizing problems” are key features of South Africa’s “most digital election.”
