In the media

Media analyst William Bird, director of Moxii Africa, said that while South Africa has strong laws to address incidents of hate speech, harassment and similar violations, misinformation and disinformation have been much more difficult to address.

Meanwhile, civil society groups in the sector who form part of the steering committee, SOS Support Public Broadcasting Coalition and Medidia Monitoring Africa, have blamed a lack of political will and blunders by government for the delays.

The Centre for Analytics and Behaviour Change (CABC) and Moxii Africa partnered to present the Social Media 4 Peace (SM4P) project on Harmful Online Content and Peacebuilding Narratives on March 17 at Radisson Red Rosebank.

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) and the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) will host the second leg of the nationwide election media training programme in Polokwane, Limpopo, on Tuesday, 17 March 2026, as part of ongoing preparations for the 2026/27 Local Government Elections.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa has partnered with the South African National Editors’ Forum and several media and governance organisations to roll out a nationwide training programme for journalists ahead of the 2026/27 Local Government Elections, a move aimed at strengthening credible reporting and safeguarding the integrity of South Africa’s electoral process.

Media Monitoring Africa believes that the current licence model is not working. The organisation's director, William Bird said just around 8% of SABC funding coming from TV licenses it was clear the model did not work.

At the recent Moot Court debate hosted by Moxii Africa, participants debated on whether should South Africa should follow Australia and other countries in banning social media for children under 16.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is concerned about the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and disinformation ahead of the forthcoming local government elections.

NAIROBI, 23-24 February 2026 – More than 150 senior editors, newsroom leaders, and media executives at the Africa Editors Congress (AEC) have called for urgent structural reforms to safeguard information integrity and the sustainability of independent journalism in Africa. Convened by The African Editors Forum (TAEF) under the theme “Reclaiming Value, Rebuilding Trust, Redefining Sustainability,” the congress addressed the unprecedented pressure exerted by platform dominance, fragile business models, and the rapid evolution of digital repression.

A lively courtroom-style debate at the Goethe-Institut unpacked whether banning social media for children would protect young minds or silence them.

On 12 February 2026, Moxii Africa and SOS Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS), with the support of UNESCO, convened a roundtable consultation with African media regulatory authorities.

The lawsuit, filed on 23 January 2026 in South Carolina, follows an incident in which a woman, identified as Jane Doe, posted a fully clothed photograph of herself on X. Other users subsequently prompted Grok, an AI chatbot developed by xAI, to manipulate the image into a sexualised deepfake. The altered image circulated publicly for several days before being removed.

In South Africa, civil society organisation Moxii Africa (formerly Media Monitoring Africa), issued a letter of demand to X and various government departments, noting that Grok’s undress features violate constitutional rights to dignity and privacy.

18 January 2026, William Bird, Daily Maverick

Media Monitoring Africa’s William Bird also responded by saying the commission must carefully balance public transparency with witness protection, acknowledging the minister’s.

Journalists in South Africa face an increasing risk to both their physical safety and professional integrity.

William Bird, director of Moxii Africa, and Makhudu Sefara, chairperson of Sanef, led both delegations as they handed over the Declaration.

The M20 Johannesburg Declaration is a document produced through extensive consultations led by Media Monitoring Africa and the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF).

Significantly, for us at Moxii Africa (we are rebranding from Media Monitoring Africa — MMA) are the recommendations on addressing and mitigating online harms and misinformation and disinformation.