Internet freedom in South Africa declined slightly due to a spike in false and misleading information around the 2024 general elections. The government continued its efforts to address weaknesses in the electrical grid that have posed a challenge to internet access in recent years. The country remained vulnerable to cyberattacks, and government surveillance of online activity was an ongoing concern.

• In July 2024, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)—the country’s communications and broadcasting regulator—amended regulations under the Electronic Communications Act to prevent anticompetitive abuses of power in the market for mobile service providers. According to the new rules, dominant providers such as MTN and Vodacom would be required to provide ICASA with relevant documents, accounts, and records related to their operations (A4).1
• Disinformation campaigns surged during and after the May 2024 general elections. This online content manipulation, which included material generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools,2 was amplified by paid social media commentators who deliberately spread false and misleading information about the integrity of the balloting.3 According to the Institute for Security Studies, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, which won 14 percent of the vote in the parliamentary elections, used paid commentators on social media to push unfounded claims that the elections had been marred by irregularities (B5).4
• In February 2025, the Competition Commission of South Africa released provisional findings from its Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry. The report showed that Google’s search engine dominance had contributed to a material and financial “erosion of the media” in South Africa over the last decade and half, in part due to the Google algorithm’s prioritization of global over local news media. Uncompetitive and opaque practices regarding advertisements on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and X had a similar negative impact on the financial viability of more traditional news outlets, according to the report (B6 and B7).5
• Authorities investigated internet users for social media posts that were deemed inflammatory or likely to incite violence during the coverage period. In January 2025, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former President Jacob Zuma, was arrested on terrorism charges related to her social media posts, which allegedly incited violence during deadly riots in 2021. She was released pending trial shortly after her arrest, and no verdict had been reached by the end of the coverage period (C3).6
• The General Intelligence Amendment Bill was signed into law in March 2025. While the legislation included protections related to the data collected and managed by the National Communications Centre (NCC), such as a requirement that intelligence services obtain approval from a judge before conducting mass interceptions, civil society groups expressed some concern about vague definitions within the law (C5 and C6).7

South Africa is a constitutional democracy. Since the end of apartheid in 1994, it has been regarded globally as a proponent of human rights and a leader on the African continent. However, reports of corruption among government officials often emerge, and in recent years, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has been accused of undermining state institutions to protect corrupt officials and preserve its power as its support base has begun to wane. The ANC lost its absolute majority in the legislature after 30 years in power following the 2024 general elections. Gender-based violence is a severe challenge.

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.