By Kavisha Pillay
Democracy is no longer only dismantled in corporate backrooms or through coups - it can now be eroded in plain sight, one viral post at a time. The 2024 South African elections were a glaring example of how truth and information, a cornerstone of democracy, is now a casualty of the digital age. This is not just a South African problem - it’s a global crisis where tech giants profit, politicians manipulate, and citizens pay the price.
Across the globe, political leaders have mastered the art of weaponizing falsehoods, to reshape reality, undermine democratic institutions and entrench power. From the far-right in France, to Modi’s India, Trump’s America, and now South Africa’s MK Party, the playbook is consistent - create chaos, erode trust, and cast yourself as the saviour of the marginalised and poor amidst the rubble.
The Power of Big Lies
The 2024 South African elections showcased a disturbing political tactic that is becoming a hallmark of global populist movements: the calculated use of disinformation to fracture trust in democratic institutions. Spearheaded by former president Jacob Zuma and his MK Party, this strategy wasn’t merely about contesting election results—it was about rewriting the rules of democratic engagement.
In the lead-up to the elections, the MK Party waged an aggressive campaign to delegitimise the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). Platforms like X.com were flooded with posts accusing the IEC of "bias," "rigging," and being "compromised." Further conspiracies were amplified that painted the IEC as a puppet of foreign interests and the ANC.
At a rally in March, Zuma fanned the flames, claiming knowledge of a plot to steal votes during the special voting period, alleging that “healthy people” were fraudulently voting under the guise of assisting the unwell.
The disinformation campaign escalated with targeted attacks on IEC officials. Commissioner Janet Love was accused of being a corrupt ally of President Ramaphosa and even of being implicated in alleged electoral meddling in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Sambudla-Zuma, called for Love’s arrest, despite the complete absence of credible evidence. These falsehoods spread like wildfire on social media, with posts accusing the IEC of colluding to rig results in favour of the ANC and Democratic Alliance. Even after the Constitutional Court dismissed the MK Party's claims of “hundreds of thousands of stolen votes” as baseless, the damage to public trust was already done.
This isn’t Zuma’s first foray into the politics of deception. His political history is littered with the wreckage of truth, from the Bell Pottinger campaign that emphasised and scaled up narratives like “white monopoly capital” and “radical economic transformation”, to the fabricated stories in major newspapers aimed at discrediting public servants. In July 2021, following his imprisonment for contempt of court, Zuma’s allies used social media to stoke violence that resulted in hundreds of deaths. Each of these incidents illustrates a pattern: deploying Big Lies to deflect accountability and maintain influence and power.
The deliberate spread of Big Lies is corrosive. It erodes public trust in democratic institutions like the IEC, judiciary, and media. It polarises society, creating factions that are more loyal to personalities than to principles of constitutional governance. Most dangerously, it constructs an alternate reality where facts are malleable, and accountability is dismissed as a conspiracy.
Holding Big Tech Accountable
Social media companies have become the architects of the modern information ecosystem, wielding unprecedented power over what billions of people see, believe, and act upon. Their algorithms, designed to maximise engagement and profits, often prioritise sensational, divisive, and misleading content, allowing disinformation to spread unchecked.
Platforms like X.com (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and TikTok have effectively turned into breeding grounds for disinformation campaigns that erode trust in democratic institutions and polarise societies. Despite their immense influence, these companies have largely evaded meaningful accountability, cloaking their inaction in rhetoric about “free speech”. This abdication of responsibility enables political actors to exploit their platforms to manipulate voters, and undermine democracy.
The ultimate accountability lies with social media companies because they control the infrastructure that amplifies disinformation. They have the resources, data, and technology to intervene but consistently choose not to, prioritising profit and now political influence over public good. This laissez-faire approach perpetuates a digital ecosystem where lies are rewarded and outrage is monetised. Holding these companies accountable means enforcing transparency in their algorithms, ad targeting, and moderation policies, especially during critical periods like elections.
It also requires governments to impose strict regulations that compel platforms to act decisively against harmful content. Social media is no longer a neutral space—it is a key battleground for democracy. Until these companies are held to account, the integrity of our political systems - and democracy itself - will remain at their mercy.
While Donald Trump may have been declared the winner of the 2024 U.S. election, the real victors were the tech bros like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel who will continue to thrive under minimal regulations and unchecked power. This reality is deeply concerning, as it underscores the influence of Big Tech in shaping not just economies, but democracies.
In the absence of meaningful regulatory controls in the U.S. where many of these social media companies are based, South African lawmakers, civil society, and other stakeholders must take the lead in addressing the unchecked power of Big Tech.
The Campaign On Digital Ethics (CODE) calls for decisive action in four critical areas:
Regulation - the South African government must develop regulations that will enforce transparency in digital advertising, and hold tech companies accountable for their algorithms that profit on the spread of mis and disinformation.
Digital literacy - all users of digital platforms should be empowered to critically evaluate the information that they receive and consume. This requires integrating media and digital literacy into education systems, such as life skills orientation, and general public awareness campaigns.
Platform accountability - platforms like X.com who refuse to participate in interventions aimed at curbing disinformation during elections, should be declared high risk, a public threat and dangerous.
Progressive legislation - the era of voluntary frameworks and self-regulation is over. Robust laws must be enacted to sanction those who create dangerous disinformation, while still safeguarding the constitutional right to freedom of speech, and in particular, political speech.
We must confront the reality that the digital age has outpaced democracy’s defenses. The stakes couldn’t be higher. If we fail to defend truth, we surrender not just elections but the very foundations of democratic governance. South Africa’s experience is a warning—and a call to action.
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