Language Is the Missing Link in South Africa’s Fight Against Misinformation
In a country with 11 official languages and dozens of local dialects, misinformation does not travel in English alone. It moves in WhatsApp voice notes in isiXhosa, sensational Facebook posts in Setswana, neighbourhood rumours in isiZulu, and chain messages in Afrikaans. Yet almost all the tools designed to counter misinformation — fact-checking articles, AI moderation systems, digital literacy materials — are overwhelmingly English-first.
This language gap is not a small oversight. It is a structural vulnerability.
Misinformation spreads fastest in the languages people trust most.
The digital divide is also a language divide.
Much of South Africa accesses the internet through low-data mobile phones, and much of our online engagement takes place in private “closed” channels — WhatsApp groups, family chats, community Facebook pages.
These spaces are multilingual, but our fact-checking responses are not. As a result, AI systems often misread African languages or fail to moderate harmful posts correctly. Users searching for answers in isiXhosa, Sesotho, or Afrikaans often find no credible verification resources, and important safety information (elections, health, community alerts) is not accessible in the languages communities actually use. This leaves millions vulnerable — not because they lack critical thinking, but because they lack access.
Misinformation becomes dangerous when people cannot verify in their own language.
The consequences are real and measurable:
Xenophobic violence fuelled by rumours in local languages.
Election misinformation is spreading on WhatsApp before fact-checkers even become aware.
Gendered disinformation targeting women in isiZulu and isiXhosa groups.
Financial scams written in Afrikaans or Setswana to deceive older adults.
If countermeasures are only available in English, public safety is compromised.
Fact-checking must evolve — multilingual communication is not optional
South Africa needs to expand its approach beyond translation. We need to design solutions that are born multilingual.
That means:
1. Community-based fact-checking networks
Equip youth and elders as verification ambassadors inside their own language communities — the people who understand the context, humour, idioms, and cultural cues, not just the words.
2. African-language AI tools
AI models must be trained to understand isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho, Setswana, Afrikaans and more — not as token add-ons, but as core languages for detection, verification, and content moderation.
3. Digital literacy that speaks to people’s lived realities
Workshops conducted in local languages consistently show higher engagement, deeper reflection, and greater resistance to manipulation.
4. Local-language versions of public information
Government agencies, civil society organisations, and media houses must release safety updates, election notices, and debunks in multiple languages simultaneously.
5. Recognising language as a trust-building tool
In an era of deepfakes, bot networks, and algorithmic chaos, trust is the most important currency. And trust is built in the language people feel most at home in.
Building an information ecosystem that matches the country we live in
South Africa is a multilingual country with multilingual information needs. If we want to protect communities, strengthen democracy, and build resilience against digital harms, we must meet people where they are:
On their phones. In their homes. In their local WhatsApp groups. And, crucially, in their own languages. The fight against misinformation will only be won when the tools, platforms, and public messages reflect the linguistic richness of the people they aim to serve.
At Fact Fort, this is our commitment: information integrity, in every language South Africans speak.