Climate Change Communication, Culture and Disinformation in Majuba Village, Eastern Cape

The report examines climate change perceptions in Majuba Village, Eastern Cape, finding that while residents are acutely aware of environmental decline, they often explain it through spiritual or moral frameworks due to a lack of local, trusted scientific information. It identifies radio as the most critical medium for communication due to high data costs and limited internet access. The study highlights that disinformation fills the void left by institutional silence and recommends establishing community radio in local dialects (isiXhosa, Sesotho, and Hlubi) and training local facilitators to bridge the gap between science and traditional beliefs.

• Residents of Majuba Village possess a strong lived awareness of environmental changes, noting late rains, drying streams, and reduced grazing, although they rarely use scientific terminology like 'greenhouse gases'. Instead, they describe the environment using relational terms, such as 'the weather is angry' or 'the soil is tired'.
• Environmental changes are frequently interpreted through spiritual and moral frameworks, including ancestral warnings, God's anger, or witchcraft. These are viewed as moral frameworks used to make sense of misfortune in the absence of accessible scientific information.
• Traditional rituals, specifically the women-led rainmaking ritual on the mountain and the Iphini ritual (involving the symbolic theft of a pap stick), serve as social actions to restore moral and environmental harmony.
• Climate disinformation spreads through informal social networks, including word of mouth at funerals, churches, and stokvel meetings, as well as via WhatsApp and Facebook. Common misleading narratives include claims of 'government-made weather' or that rain is being stolen by other provinces.
• Radio is the most effective communication tool for rural South Africa because it is free to listen to, portable, and does not require literacy or expensive mobile data, which can cost up to 5 percent of a low-income household's monthly income for one gigabyte.
• There is a significant gap between national public radio stations (like Umhlobo Wenene FM and Lesedi FM) and local needs, as national broadcasts often focus on urban content and fail to use local dialects such as Hlubi.
• The study identifies a profound mistrust of local government, with residents reporting a total absence of municipal information regarding climate or drought.

APA

Vindusa, C. (2025). Climate Change Communication, Culture and Disinformation in Majuba Village, Eastern Cape. Roots. https://poweredbyroots.org/media/pages/highlights/fellowship-for-countering-disinformation/7cff876b3a-1762968928/south-africa-.docx.pdf

Chicago

Vindusa, Cherish. Climate Change Communication, Culture and Disinformation in Majuba Village, Eastern Cape. Roots, 2025. https://poweredbyroots.org/media/pages/highlights/fellowship-for-countering-disinformation/7cff876b3a-1762968928/south-africa-.docx.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vindusa |first1=Cherish |title=Climate Change Communication, Culture and Disinformation in Majuba Village, Eastern Cape |publisher=Roots |date=November 2025 |url=https://poweredbyroots.org/media/pages/highlights/fellowship-for-countering-disinformation/7cff876b3a-1762968928/south-africa-.docx.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vindusa2025climate, author = {Vindusa, Cherish}, title = {{Climate Change Communication, Culture and Disinformation in Majuba Village, Eastern Cape}}, institution = {Roots}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://poweredbyroots.org/media/pages/highlights/fellowship-for-countering-disinformation/7cff876b3a-1762968928/south-africa-.docx.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }