Siphokazi

International Development Expert- Focus on Innovative Financial Solutions for Development;
Co-founder @SheTech2_
ALC Fellow,King's College London *views my own*

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@RediTlhabi Exactly!

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@Lungah___ @SiyabongaOnX @neoninog77 Bot

[Redi Tlhabi @RediTlhabi]

Dear Minister @Khu_Ntshavheni , as a communications student whose interest lies in Information Sovereignty and Geopolitical Power, it is truly concerning hearing your diagnosis if the information warfare. Your words indicate that the state of South Africa will continue to be penetrable and vulnerable precisely because it has not done the work of understanding Disinformation. Disinformation is not a legal problem. It is primarily an information ecosystem problem. The first line of defence is not banning falsehoods. You can't. The first response is to capacitate the state and modernize your communication architecture so that the state is faster than the lie.

Governments that communicate quickly, transparently and consistently create less space for disinformation to flourish. During crises, silence allows false narratives to become "truth."

The state is often reactionary rather than proactive. You cannot be proactive if you don't modernize GCIS so that it has the capacity to do risk analysis and craft rapid response units. GCIS has a moribund feel to it, way behind the times. These long press statements and briefings are so archaic. You need simplified , even engaging, gamefied interactive spaces with government data. Strategic narrative planning around your key priorities, beginning early in the year and involving ALL spokespersons and strategists pulled together in compulsory convenings, every quarter. You need an technologically savvy tracking mechanism that helps you identify communication weakness and which communities are vulnerable to disinformation on a particular government initiative or policy. You then reach them quickly and at their level.

Sure, tech companies can help to democratise the algorithm because disinformation is spread via manipulation of the algorithm. But you need a proper landscape analysis so that your intervention is commensurate with the scale of the threat.

You need to invest in public information literacy and craft a national resilience plan against information warfare. "We will not tolerate....you will bear the consequences...." is not going to help you. It will drive bot-level defiance. You cannot simply legislate against "fake news" because the crisis is not just the content but the networks themselves. You have an ecosystem problem here.

You have also made a rudimentary mistake: conflating concepts. Modern scholarship distinguishes between disinformation, misinformation and malinformation. It is important to understand the distinctions because it will help you confine yourself to what is legally possible. Threatening "fake news" broadly risks sweeping protected speech, mistakes, satire and wrong information into the same category.

I say this as someone who shares your concern about harmful disinformation and misinformation. I also lament poor journalism that also fuels this. I am a fanatic on this issue and I care deeply about the harm that has been done to South Africa. It has been very hurtful politically and personally. We are not disagreeing here.

All I am challenging your government to do is to understand the pillars of modern disinformation and be theoretically and forensically accurate in crafting solutions. Solutions that are not deliberate and have no depth, will fail.

[Mbaliyezwe @mbali_ndlela]

It would be a joy if she received funding from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.

[Dr. Hood Possum @DrLungi_Mashele]

Correlation does not imply causality.

Kodwa…

Cybercrime has been on the rise.

Couple that with banks taking over home affairs functions and data breaches…

The CTO of the blue bank also resigned following 2 weekends of customers embarrassed at tills.

Smoke & fire things…

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@SimplyAsia_SA 339 all day !

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@LiftAirlineSA We know that delays happen, COMMUNICATE them as DELAYS. No need to have us standing/stuck in a plane with no information especially for people travelling with children and the elderly.

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@LiftAirlineSA is now always delayed, making their passengers wait for boarding for even up to an hour!!! Not a wise choice for this festive season, why say you’re boarding then make people stand and wait!!!

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@JHBWater The audacity.

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@Ling_14 @Xolosibiya Abantu bami madoda, congratulations friends so exciting✨❤️

[Kwame Agyarko (Robert) @KwameAgyarko]

Thank you to the WHO representative for Rwanda @BrianChirombo and his team for our discussion on the country’s epidemic preparedness and response efforts, find synergies including the use of risk transfer instruments @ARCapacity @WHOAFRO @Chikwe_I @mnguni_za @WHORwanda

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@NanaZulu ❤️❤️❤️

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

Are your friends trade experts?!

[UNDP Africa @UNDPAfrica]

How can #MadeInAfrica goods benefit from preferential treatment and seize market opportunities under #AfCFTA?

This blog by @iffyogo explores how trade intelligence tools connect African goods to new markets.

Read more 👉 https://t.co/xMcxH5hS6e

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@Khazi_Rinae Gorgeous!

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@Ling_14 @Xolosibiya To many more✨

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@SylWekesa @KingsCollegeLon Congratulations!

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@Khazi_Rinae Happy birthday lovely 💕

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@NonhleBeryl 💔💔💔💔💔

[Siphokazi @mnguni_za]

@MaNala_J @cnehshuga 💔💔💔