There is a war raging—not of guns, but of manipulated images, falsified polls, weaponised perception, and manufactured narratives. This war is not fought on the battlegrounds of constitutionally sanctioned contestation, but through a deceptive campaign of disinformation led by the Democratic Alliance (DA) and its cohorts in business and media. It is a war camouflaged as democratic engagement, yet it undermines the very ethos of our post-apartheid constitutional order. What we are witnessing is a nefarious recycling of colonial and apartheid tactics under the guise of political competition: a propaganda machine on steroids, lubricated by privilege, race-baiting, and false messiahs raised from political tombs to ‘rescue’ a city their ilk helped break.
Helen Zille’s recent attempt to publicly invoke a biblical resurrection of her political relevance, claiming she will rise to “save Johannesburg from Lazarus’ grave,” is not just dramatic—it is dangerous. It is the personification of the DA’s delusional saviour complex, its refusal to accept the democratic will of the majority, and a shocking insult to the people of this city and country who lived through a real struggle for liberation—not theatrical stage plays of self-importance. This messianic narrative, often pushed through small, curated circles of followers via manipulated online polls and echo chambers, is not democracy—it is elite narcissism masquerading as public opinion. These ‘polls’ are not representative—they are algorithms of arrogance coded in racial exclusion.
Worse still is how this spin has been mainstreamed. The DA’s media mouthpieces, often drawn from the same privileged social and academic networks that once kept apartheid alive with “objective” justifications, amplify these narratives without critical scrutiny. The same editors and analysts who treat the ANC’s internal complexities as fodder for disintegration conveniently forget the DA’s decades of dumping black leaders like expired sugarless chappies—no taste, no loyalty, just tokenism. Where is Lindiwe Mazibuko today? Why was Mmusi Maimane forced out? Why was Mpho Phalatse discarded like an inconvenient footnote? Why does the list of dumped black leaders in the DA read like an obituary of expediency rather than one of growth?
The hypocrisy is staggering. While the ANC has stood on the principle of ubuntu, recognising even our political opponents as part of our shared nationhood—as demonstrated by Johannesburg Executive Mayor Cllr Dada Morero’s dignified acknowledgment of all former democratic mayors, including DA alumni—the DA continues to sharpen knives for its own former champions, jettisoning them without ceremony or gratitude. During the recent Council sitting, the tension on the DA benches as Phalatse was “recognised” by the Mayor was palpable, cold, and calculating. By contrast, the ANC and Al Jama-ah response reverberated with respect, political maturity, and a commitment to nation building. That is why Morero must remain Mayor—not just for political stability but to uphold the soul of South Africa’s rebirth project. He is a statesman whose loyalty is to the people, not to a billboard of opportunistic outrage.
And let us be clear: the DA’s post-election conduct in the Government of National Unity (GNU) framework is treacherous. Having participated in clandestine sabotage campaigns against the ANC during elections, in collusion with large-scale capital, right-wing foreign entities, and select media editors, they now enter GNU chambers not as patriots but as political Trojan horses. This is not cooperation—it is cooptation. They feign unity, but plot division. They sign agreements while sharpening the same knives they used to stab their own. What we are seeing is not statesmanship—it is political espionage disguised as coalition.
Internationally, these tactics are not new. They mirror Cold War propaganda operations, destabilisation tactics used in post-socialist Europe, and anti-Black disinformation campaigns in Latin America. In films like Wag the Dog, we see how political operatives invent wars to distract electorates. The DA seems to take notes from these scripts—creating fake crises, emotional spectacles, and exaggerated moral panics, all while ignoring the real work of nation-building. These are not public servants—they are performance artists of propaganda.
This political theater, however, must not blind us to the urgency of legislative reform. Our current electoral law lacks adequate protection against negative campaigning and foreign-influenced disinformation. Section 19 of the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to make political choices, but this right is rendered hollow when those choices are poisoned by falsehoods and manipulated narratives. The Municipal Structures Act and Electoral Act must be urgently amended to outlaw coordinated negative campaigning, foreign interference, and the use of algorithmic or AI-generated fake news by political parties. Local government by-laws, particularly under the Municipal Systems Act, must also codify standards of digital integrity and public accountability.
Furthermore, the South African Bill of Rights under Section 16 protects freedom of expression but not hate speech, propaganda for war, or incitement to cause harm. The DA’s consistent narrative of Black incompetence, their undermining of affirmative action, and their demonisation of Black-led institutions come dangerously close to ideological incitement and the undermining of Section 9’s equality clause. It is time the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and Chapter 9 institutions move beyond observer status and into active guardianship of democratic integrity.
It is not enough to defend democracy in silence while it is shredded by those with inherited media power, monopolised wealth, and apartheid-purchased platforms. We must roar—intellectually, legally, and politically. The ANC, rooted in moral vision, revolutionary integrity, and historical legitimacy, cannot stoop to the DA’s levels of deceit. But we can, and must, expose them. We must teach our children that the rainbow nation will not be built by devils in disguise, but by disciplined cadres, grounded communities, and truth that outlives tactics.
Our Constitution is not a toy for electoral acrobatics. It is a sacred covenant of healing and hope. That hope must be defended, not just from the DA’s spin doctors, but from their collaborators in media, business, and international agencies. We must remember the words of Thomas Sankara: “A soldier without political education is a potential criminal.” Likewise, a politician without ethical grounding and revolutionary purpose is a danger to the republic.
Let us, therefore, expose every lie, reverse every false prophecy, and defend our democracy with blistering resolve. Because South Africa does not need another self-appointed saviour. It needs builders. And Cllr Morero is one of them.
Stan Itshegetseng is a member of the ANC in Greater Johannesburg, Gauteng, and an NEC of the Progressive Professionals Forum. He writes in his personal capacity.
