Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi urged the public, on October 17, to help build an informed citizenry and a safe online space.

Speaking during his keynote address at Moxii Africa’s Media Freedom Festival at the Goethe-Institut, Malatsi warned of growing threats to political integrity.

Read more: Joburg Crisis Alliance summit tackles governance and municipal election context in Parkview

Focusing on information integrity ahead of local government elections, Malatsi said propaganda and rumours have always existed, but fake news, bots, manipulated digital ads, and disinformation now pose severe threats to political campaigning.

“This has opened up the space for criminals and bad actors who can use AI to fake voices and make it sound authentic and mislead the public and influence people’s choices in an election cycle.

“With social media being able to propel one post to millions of people within seconds, disinformation can spread like wildfire, influencing people who may not have the correct information to instantly establish the authenticity of messaging and to tell what is accurate and not.”

Malatsi noted that precision is essential when tackling information peddling because each type requires a distinct approach.

Also read: Partnership for information integrity and elections programme meets to discuss potential threats and solutions ahead of local elections

“The best response to misinformation is accurate information delivered faster and empowering people with digital skills training to help them discern the information they consume.

On the other hand, disinformation is far more dangerous. These are lies intentionally created and spread, often in co-ordinated ways, to achieve objectives such as inciting violence, exploiting online for financial gains and ultimately contaminating public opinion,” Malatsi said.

Calling for greater transparency and detection, Malatsi urged law enforcement to act whenever the law is broken, stating that deliberate attempts to extort information and mislead the public do not constitute freedom of expression.

“To fight disinformation we need fit regulators, committed truth tellers and fully resourced media institutions and organisations,” Malatsi said.

“It is important that we remember that, as players, we have a national duty to ensure that we help safeguard the benefits and inroads that our democracy has made, and that we collectively contribute to an informed citizenry and a safe online space.”

Follow us on our WhatsApp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates!