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Mbalula suffered from ‘lip-syncing and audio overlays’, which are sometimes referred to as ‘puppeteering’.
Fikile Mbalula has warned people about fake video of him stating that Senzo Mchunu as guilty. Picture: @MbalulaFikile/X
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula is the latest public figure to suffer a deepfake impersonation video, which falsely portrays his opinions
In the fake video, which appears and sounds normal at first glance, Mbalula states that suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is guilty.
“No, let me explain this thing. Senzo is guilty. He will answer to whatever that he needs to answer to, I think, umm, let’s allow the processes that have been defined to unfold,” Mbalula is heard saying in the manipulated video.
We live in a sensitive period where distortion has become the order of the day. pic.twitter.com/BhQuKSkxE3
— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | Fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) July 21, 2025
Deepfake content includes images, videos and audio edited or generated using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which may depict real or non-existent people.
There are different types of deepfakes, and Mbalula was targeted with a ‘lip-syncing and audio overlay’ deepfake — sometimes referred to as ‘puppeteering’— which replaces mouth movements to match synthetic or manipulated audio.
In the authentic video, Mbalula clearly says Mchunu is not guilty.
“Let me explain this thing; it’s been exaggerated — deliberately so. I think umm…let’s allow the processes that have been defined to unfold,” Mbalula says.
“Senzo is not guilty. He will answer to whatever that he needs to answer to; and therefore he has not been found guilty or been charged in any court of law to warrant any steps to be taken against him.”
Rise of deepfakes in SA
About a week ago, a video purported to be of Springbok Captain Siya Kolisi circulated on social media. In it, the display shows what appears to be the rugby player encouraging viewers to participate in an investment scheme.
What gave it away was the deep Nigerian accent that came with the video. However, those who aren’t cautious could easily fall for it being Kolisi.
If they had managed to get his actual voice, people would be running around in the streets claiming they've been scammed by Siya Kolisi 😭 https://t.co/tKzoD0fu4s
— Wela's World 👑 (@Wela_SA) July 16, 2025
Late last year, South African broadcaster and actress Thami Ngubeni had to distance herself from a deepfake video purporting to be her encouraging people to invest in dodgy financial schemes.
Speaking to The Citizen, Ngubeni said she was first made aware of the video by a former colleague who had an interest in investing in what the video was selling.
“I hadn’t seen the video at that point. The next day a journalist called me, her mother had seen the video and wanted to invest. She knew immediately it was false and sent the video to me,” she said.
Cybercrime Unit Specialist Investigator Mike Bolhuis previously told The Citizen that in recent years, there has been a significant rise in these types of cybercrimes in South Africa.
Warning & Disclaimer: I categorically distance myself from any video currently circulating that encourages individuals to invest in specific financial schemes. This broadcast never happened. It’s deepfake. It’s a scam. Please exercise caution with any video featuring my likeness… pic.twitter.com/c0LM7BI75o
— Thami Ngubeni (@LifeWithThami) November 28, 2024
“This surge can be attributed to several factors, including the increasing number of techniques and tools available, the growing popularity of social media platforms, and the public’s heightened trust in celebrities.
“It goes without saying that people often fall for ‘get-rich-quick’ schemes, especially when a ‘celebrity’ is encouraging them to get involved,” he said.
NOW READ: WATCH: ‘A scammer trying to scam me as me’ – Fake Connie Ferguson calls the real one
