Under the influence? Online mis/disinformation in South Africa’s May 2024 election

The report analyzes the digital information ecosystem during South Africa's May 2024 elections, identifying a complex market of paid and ideological influencers who used coordinated strategies to undermine electoral institutions and distort political narratives.

• The 2024 South African election featured a complex market for online influence where actors were motivated by either ideological conviction or commercial rewards, with many influencers being paid to amplify specific narratives.
• Campaigns specifically targeted the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to erode public trust, framing technical glitches as malicious and claiming the body was corrupt or biased toward the ANC.
• The uMkhonto weSizwe party (MKP) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) were the most prominent voices on social media, with the MKP frequently pushing conspiracy theories that election results were stolen.
• Coordinated 'inorganic' engagement strategies were used to game platform algorithms, including the use of 'rage bait' and a specific network of paid influencers targeting the Democratic Alliance (DA) via the #DumbAlliance campaign.
• While generative AI and deepfakes were limited, they were used for candidate endorsements, such as AI-generated videos of Donald Trump supporting the MKP and Eminem endorsing the EFF.
• Evidence of foreign influence was limited in volume, but one influencer claimed Russia paid them to amplify narratives aimed at destabilising South Africa by highlighting the DA's alleged brutalities against black people.
• Traditional media and fact-checking organisations like Africa Check played a significant role in debunking disinformation, though newsrooms faced challenges from staff retrenchments and a generational gap in digital skills.
• Influence operations in South Africa showed signs of regional collaboration, with influencers engaging across borders in countries such as Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria to build networks.

APA

Allen, K., & le Roux, J. (2024). Under the influence? Online mis/disinformation in South Africa’s May 2024 election. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1734073957062-sar-61.pdf

Chicago

Allen, Karen, and Jean le Roux. Under the influence? Online mis/disinformation in South Africa’s May 2024 election. Institute for Security Studies, 2024. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1734073957062-sar-61.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Allen |first1=Karen |last2=le Roux |first2=Jean |title=Under the influence? Online mis/disinformation in South Africa’s May 2024 election |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=December 2024 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1734073957062-sar-61.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allen2024under, author = {Allen, Karen and le Roux, Jean}, title = {{Under the influence? Online mis/disinformation in South Africa’s May 2024 election}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1734073957062-sar-61.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }