-Doreen Loubser and Kwanele Mketeni
The Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC) has expressed concern over narrative manipulation in private social media platforms such as WhatsApp.
The Centre has been analysing all public domain social media activity in South Africa, with a focus on conversations related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
CABC is a non-profit organisation formed to act in the public interest and operates from the University of Cape Town (UCT).
The Executive Director of the CABC, Professor Camaren Peter claims that South Africans are "street smart" when it comes to spotting fake news, but that it does not make us immune.
He says this is particularly the case when the initial amplification of disinformation creates an outsized effect that continues despite the disinformation being debunked later on.
A perfect example of this was the release of fake government documentation claiming that government would only release funds to black-owned businesses to help ease the financial impact of Covid19.
This document was shown to be false within hours of being released, but the narrative, that the government is using the crisis to damage white business has continued.
Peter refers to these types of campaigns as the "post-truth" era.
Another issue highlighted during COVID19 was the 5G conspiracy, even though some people truly believe in its existence, the theory was quickly debunked by Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize.
Professor Peter says when deliberate manipulation takes place it is a well-organized campaign with multiple sources taking part at once.
Fake news being spread in traditional townships might be completely different from messages doing the rounds on suburban WhatsApp groups.
However, when it comes to the propensity to spread misinformation or in the susceptibility to believing it, there are absolutely no discernible cultural differences.
Fake news is used to destabilize communities or as Peter bluntly calls it "a divide and conquer strategy that mobilizes asymmetric psychological warfare tactics."
The South African government has made the creation and spread of fake news a criminal offence and urged the public to report it by emailing
