In the media

The impact of South Africa’s 30 June anti-immigration protests was doubtlessly terrifying for many foreign nationals. Yet the unofficial deadline for undocumented immigrants to leave the country was as much an online campaign as it was offline.

The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) in partnership with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has successfully concluded its nationwide media training programme for journalists ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE), with the final training session held in Upington, Northern Cape, on 1 July 2026.

As South Africa braces for anti‑immigration protests on 30 June, a coalition of media freedom organisations has issued a stark warning about escalating threats to both foreign nationals and journalists.

Speaking at Goethe-Institut South Africa, Moxii Africa director William Bird said the workshop was aimed at urging newsrooms to speak to the pertinent issues, and work through practical solutions of how to address matters of concern as and when they happen. “We’re noticing that there’s increased levels of polarisation, hate speech, and threats of violence. We’ve seen this movie too many times in South Africa, and seem intent on not wanting to learn our lesson.”

Media Monitoring Africa director William Bird said many governments were grappling with the impact of social media on children and young people.

South Africa is entering a dangerous period. Over the past few months, social media platforms have witnessed a significant increase in content targeting foreign nationals. Alongside legitimate debates about migration policy, there has been a growing volume of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, threats, and content that appears designed to incite hostility and violence against migrants. Much of this content is now being circulated in the lead-up to 30 June 2026, a date promoted by anti-immigrant groups as a deadline for foreign nationals to leave South Africa.

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) successfully concluded its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Pretoria on Saturday, 4 July 2026, reflecting on the organisation’s past 30 years while also forward looking at the issues confronting the journalism industry for the next 30 years.

The DBE, through the School Safety Directorate, in collaboration with Moxii Africa (formerly known as Media Monitoring Africa) and the Free State Education Department, launched the Web Rangers Programme at Kagisho Comprehensive Secondary School in Mangaung Bloemfontein from 10 to 11 April 2026. The Web Rangers Programme is a learner-led initiative designed to empower learners to become champions of safe and responsible internet use. It equips participants with essential skills to create awareness campaigns that promote positive online behaviour. By focusing on youth leadership, the programme encourages learners to take responsibility for their digital presence while influencing their peers to do the same. It forms part of the DBE’s broader Online Safety Integrated Programme for schools.

This came after industry stakeholders, including eMedia, Media Monitoring Africa, and the SOS Public Broadcasting Coalition, moved to block the switch-off in court. “Had it gone ahead as planned, community broadcasters, E-tv and the SABC would have faced an existential crisis,” the SOS Coalition said at the time. “In addition, millions of the most vulnerable people living in South Africa would have been denied their constitutional and human rights to access and receive news and information.”

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.