Durban - The proliferation of fake news targeting political parties and certain politicians is “new-age propaganda” that is not likely to stop and political leaders have to brace themselves for the online onslaught.
This is according to a social media lawyer and a researcher, who were responding to allegations that the ANC spent R50 million to spread fake news and pay social media
“influencers” to discredit the political opposition.
Xolani Dube, political analyst and senior researcher at the Xubera Institute for Research and Development, believes what is now termed fake news has been around since the inception of power.
“Pre-information age, fake news was called propaganda and preserved in print media and radio. It existed by other names before that. For anything to sustain itself, it needs to rebrand so it is appearing now as fake news, electioneering sabotage.”
PICTURE: TWITTER
Sabotage had allegedly been the aim of the work of an ANC team called the “War Room” in the run up to the local government elections.
Allegations that its goal was to create posters depicting opposition political parties negatively - were contained in a court application by Sihle Bolani.
The public relations strategist fingered Shaka Sisulu, Walter Sisulu’s grandson, as her recruiter, as did Thami Mthimkhulu, a Durban man who has now joined the #PaidTwitter fray. He claimed - on Twitter - that he had been sent slanderous posters to “push” on social media.
Bolani took the party to court for allegedly failing to pay her the R2.2 million she was promised for the work.
The handle @Mtamerri trended on Twitter on Wednesday as Mthimkulu “exposed” Kananelo Sexwale, Tokyo Sexwale’s niece, and Sisulu for allegedly recruiting him to share disparaging posters featuring EFF and DA leaders.
He claimed to have been recruited by Sisulu and received the posters from Sexwale’s “people.”
Sisulu and Sexwale have both denied this. Sisulu labelled the allegations #FakeNews. He said, “These reports are inherently false, exaggerated and no doubt, intended to discredit, in part, my reputation, and most significantly, the ANC.”
Fake news - which previously targeted celebrities - has shifted to politics, said Verlie Oosthuizen, a partner at Shepstone and Wylie’s social media law department.
“Donald Trump’s election shows the impact of this growing trend on politics”.
After pressure from the German chancellor Angela Merkel, Facebook introduced a fact check button to try to deal with fake news. This is already effective in the US as well and whether Facebook is going to mobilise this across the globe remains to be seen.
“I don’t believe there is a political will in South Africa to put up the same kind of pressure,” said Oosthuizen.
“Trying to prosecute the creators of fake news sites would be extremely difficult. You’d end up chasing leads in different jurisdictions,” she said.
She also highlighted that politicians, like other public figures, are expected to have a higher tolerance for “abuse” online. Negative stories are written about them all the time and, understanding the nature of the business they are in, they hardly ever run to the courts.
PICTURE: TWITTER
The IEC on Wednesday noted the allegations, saying it would leave it to the courts, but if circumstances required it to take any further action, “it will not hesitate to discharge its duties and obligations”.
Social media expert Arthur Goldstuck believes fake news completely destroys public discourse and undermines democratic values.
“Anyone who participates in this in order to advance their objectives should realise the long-term damage. It ulti-
mately renders everything they put out untrustworthy.” He believes there should be consequences but “until someone is caught and prosecuted, it will go on”.
Goldstuck, Dube and Oosthuizen agreed that as the ANC succession debate heats up, South Africa could expect a proliferation of fake news.
“People didn’t vote for the DA in Johannesburg and Pretoria because of fake news,” said Dube. “It’s naive to think fake news plays such a huge role in our society. People vote for what matters to them, they vote for social security.”
The Huffington Post South Africa, Sunday Times and Talk Radio 702 were targeted by fake news compilers last week with inaccurate reports.
ANC national chairperson Baleka Mbete has condemned suggestions that she was behind items bearing her image and the words “incoming president”.