Finding the truth: When misinformation becomes a weapon — Afrophobia, social media and 30 June

At a time when misinformation and hate can spread rapidly online, public vigilance and responsible reporting are more important than ever.

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 danger lies not only in the rhetoric itself, but in the broader context within which it is being shared.

South Africa is not a country with a theoretical history of Afrophobic violence. It is a country that has repeatedly witnessed attacks on foreign nationals, including the widespread violence of 2008 and subsequent outbreaks in 2015, 2019, and beyond.

Hundreds of people have lost their lives, thousands have been displaced and countless businesses and livelihoods have been destroyed. Accordingly, the current online information environment should be a cause for serious concern.

In recent weeks, social media platforms have carried posts falsely attributed to state institutions, fabricated announcements regarding migration policy, misleading claims about foreign nationals, and content portraying migrants as criminals, invaders, or enemies of the state. Other posts have gone further, using imagery associated with violence, including tyres, accelerants, weapons, masks, and references to the March and March organisation’s 30 June 2026 deadline.

Some openly threaten violence. Others employ coded language and dog whistles that may be understood by audiences familiar with the broader campaign against foreign nationals.

Viewed individually, some of these posts may appear relatively insignificant. Viewed collectively, they form coordinated narratives that fuel fear, hostility, polarisation, division and social mobilisation.

The problem is not merely one of false and inaccurate information. It is the convergence of mis- and disinformation and existing social tensions.

False information spreads more easily when it confirms existing frustrations, and platforms are reluctant to take these down as they generate traffic and engagement for them.

Communities facing unemployment, poverty, crime and service delivery failures are often presented with a conve