In his BSR Policy Briefing 2/2026 report the author Greg Mills warns that coordinated disinformation campaigns linked to Russia are increasingly targeting South Africa’s democracy and political debate. The report describes how fake news, social media campaigns and online influencers were allegedly used to weaken the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) before South Africa’s 2024 national election. According to the report, the goal of these campaigns is not only to support certain political actors, but also to weaken trust in elections, institutions and democratic debate more broadly.
”Disinformation is not merely about lies. It is about eroding the shared reality that democracy depends on.”
Coordinated online campaigns
The report highlights research by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), which analysed more than 1,2 million social media posts linked to the 2024 election campaign. Researchers identified a coordinated anti-DA campaign built around hashtags such as #dumballiance, #notwhiteenough and #stopdaracism. According to the report, nearly 80 000 posts were shared through networks of influencers and coordinated accounts targeting the party.
The report also refers to interviews with influencers who claimed they had been paid to spread anti-DA content supplied by Russian-linked actors. Leaked intelligence documents cited in the report suggest that Russian agencies saw South Africa as an important target for influence campaigns. According to the report, these activities included anti-DA messaging, support for pro-BRICS narratives and campaigns against groups seen as supportive of Ukraine.
The DA has openly criticised Moscow’s war in Ukraine, unlike the governing African National Congress (ANC), which has officially maintained a position of neutrality.
Why South Africa matters?
Greg Mills argues in his report that South Africa is an important country for Russia because of its international role and historical ties with Moscow. South Africa is a member of BRICS and one of Africa’s largest economies, giving it political influence beyond the continent. The report also points to the long relationship between the ANC and the former Soviet Union during the anti-apartheid struggle.
According to the report, South Africa’s open media environment, strong social media use and political divisions also make the country vulnerable to online influence campaigns.
Modern information warfare
A central theme of the report is how political influence operations have changed in the digital age. Instead of relying only on traditional propaganda outlets, campaigns now use social media influencers, fake news websites, AI-generated content and coordinated online networks to spread political messages.
The report describes this as a form of “hybrid warfare”, meaning the attempts to influence societies and political systems without direct military force. Rather than convincing people to believe a single story, the goal is often to create confusion and distrust. “The greatest danger is not that voters are persuaded by a single lie,” the report says, “but that they become cynical about all truth.”
A wider African trend
The report argues that South Africa is part of a larger pattern across Africa. Citing research by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, it states that Russia has become the biggest known source of disinformation campaigns on the continent, operating in more than 20 African countries. According to the report, Russia relies heavily on influence operations because it lacks the economic resources that countries such as China can use to expand their influence in Africa.
Political battles are fought through information
The report concludes that democracies will need to take online disinformation more seriously in the future. Mills argues that political parties, civil society organisations and citizens themselves will need stronger tools to identify and respond to coordinated online manipulation. The report warns that modern political battles are increasingly being fought through information, narratives and public trust.
“Defending democracy has to become the responsibility of every citizen with a smartphone.”
