Given SHINGANGE | 15 February 2026
I wasn’t planning to listen to Panyaza Lesufi’s conversation with Mbuyiseni Ndlozi. TikTok changed that. A clip landed on my feed — Panyaza talking about medical aid, private education, and private security. His argument hit differently: if the state functioned properly, we wouldn’t need these private alternatives. That premise alone was enough to make me press play on the full podcast.
I listened while on the treadmill. No more gym music that does nothing for my energy levels — this is my new routine. Get the body and the mind working at the same time. And I must say, I found myself nodding along to most of what Lesufi was saying.
Then came SONA 2026 on 12 February. President Ramaphosa started on a high note. I could almost feel the discomfort of the naysayers as he listed achievements: South Africa removed from the FATF grey list, 238 consecutive days without load-shedding, economic growth gaining traction, and tourism numbers at record highs. Even I wondered if it was too good to be true — which probably says more about how I’ve been conditioned to expect failure than it does about the President’s credibility.
Both these moments — Lesufi’s podcast and Ramaphosa’s SONA — forced me to confront something uncomfortable. When you’ve accepted the narrative that everything is corrupt, that the ANC has destroyed the country, that black leadership equals failure, then hearing about actual progress feels wrong. It triggers cognitive dissonance. Your brain rejects it.
But here’s what I’m learning to recognise: we have a messaging problem. Panyaza put it perfectly. And it’s not just a political party’s problem — it’s ours.
The Progressive Mistake vs The Perfect Paralysis
Lesufi makes what I call “progressive mistakes.” He’ll promise to employ 1 million people and deliver 3,000 jobs. The critics pounce on the 997,000 “failure.” But I’m looking at the 3,000 families who now have income. Behind each of those 3,000 people are at least two others who benefit — children who eat better, rent that gets paid, dignity restored.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying promise the impossible and claim victory when you deliver a fraction. What I’m saying is that in the absence of perfect execution, progress still matters. Those 3,000 jobs are real. They count. They should be celebrated while we hold leadership accountable for the gap.
The President mentioned deploying 10,000 agricultural extension officers to support farmers and improve productivity. This excited me particularly because I learned about Ethiopia’s extension officer model back in 2009/2010 during a visit where the late Prime Minister explained their approach. It’s taken us this long to adopt it, but better late than never. The question now is implementation — and whether we’ll actually hear about the successes when they happen.
The Correctional Services Story No One’s Telling
Minister Pieter Groenewald is doing something remarkable at Correctional Services, and you’d barely know it unless you’re paying close attention. Since taking office in July 2024, he’s launched prison bakeries that saved R13 million in just two months (April-May 2025) by producing bread in-house instead of buying from external suppliers. Since July 2024, officials have confiscated 33,874 cellphones, 20,577 sharpened objects, 232.16 kg of drugs, and over R394,000 in cash from facilities. He’s pushing for government departments to procure furniture made by inmates, creating skills development while reducing costs.
This is a minister from the Freedom Front Plus — a party many dismiss as representing only minority interests — making tangible improvements in a portfolio that directly affects public safety. The work speaks for itself. Yet where are the viral clips? Where’s the TikTok algorithm pushing these stories?
It’s worth noting that much of Groenewald’s work is covered in Afrikaans media, which points to another dimension of our messaging crisis: language and audience fragmentation means good work in one sphere doesn’t penetrate others.
The Algorithm Doesn’t Want You to See This
After SONA 2026, I scrolled through social media looking for clips. I expected to see snippets of Ramaphosa’s key announcements circulating: the infrastructure investments, the digital ID rollout, the systematic approach to gang violence in the Cape Flats, and the massive foot-and-mouth disease response. Instead? Silence. No drama, no viral moments, no algorithm boost.
That’s not accidental. Social media platforms prioritise engagement, and rage drives engagement better than good news. But more concerning is the possibility of deliberate narrative suppression. When positive stories about South Africa systematically fail to gain traction while every scandal trends instantly, we have to ask: who benefits from South Africans believing their country is uniquely broken?
This is where my work on influence operations becomes relevant. We need to recognise when we’re being targeted. Foreign and domestic actors with vested interests in South Africa’s instability don’t want you to know that we’re making progress. They profit from chaos, from capital flight, from brain drain, from a population convinced their country is unsalvageable.
What Lesufi and Ramaphosa Both Understand
Both leaders, in their different ways, are pointing to the same reality: South Africa is not as bad as we think. We’re making progress. We’re fixing things. Slowly, imperfectly, but measurably.
Lesufi highlighted what makes South Africa unique globally: our social grants system, free basic electricity and water, progressive policies that other countries don’t even attempt. Ramaphosa pointed to no load-shedding for 238 days, infrastructure deals being finalised, and digital transformation accelerating.
These aren’t propaganda. They’re verifiable. But they don’t fit the dominant narrative, so they get drowned out.
The Urgency of Counter-Narratives
As we approach local government elections, the information environment will become even more weaponised. Misinformation, selective reporting, and emotional manipulation will intensify. Citizens will consume narratives designed to demoralise them, to convince them that voting is pointless, that corruption is inevitable, that South Africa is beyond saving.
We cannot outsource the telling of our own stories. Not to the international media that applies different standards to African nations. Not to social media algorithms optimised for outrage. Not to political actors whose interests don’t align with national progress.
This doesn’t mean uncritical cheerleading. We must remain vigilant against corruption, incompetence, and delivery failures. But we must also actively share and amplify what is working. When a school gets built, when jobs get created, when infrastructure gets fixed, when policies get implemented — we need to make noise about it.
The destructive narratives win by default when the rest of us stay silent.
Locating Ourselves in the Success
What struck me most about SONA was Ramaphosa’s invitation to locate ourselves in the achievements. It’s not enough to hear that the country is improving — we need to ask: how did I contribute to this? Where do I fit into this progress?
That’s the shift from passive consumption to active citizenship. From spectator to participant. From victim of circumstances to architect of solutions.
Ethiopia’s extension officers worked because communities believed in and participated in the model. Our agricultural transformation will succeed only if farmers, young people, and communities engage with the 10,000 extension officers being deployed. The digital ID system matters only if citizens adopt it and use it to access services. Infrastructure investment translates to growth only if businesses and workers capitalise on improved logistics.
The Choice Ahead
We stand at a fork. One path leads to continued acceptance of narratives that South Africa is failing, corrupt, hopeless — narratives that become self-fulfilling as they drive away investment, talent, and belief in collective action.
The other path requires work. It demands that we critically evaluate information sources, share positive developments, and hold media and algorithms accountable for what they amplify and suppress. It means celebrating the 3,000 jobs while pushing for the million. It means acknowledging Groenewald’s bakeries while demanding accountability across all portfolios. It means recognising SONA’s achievements while scrutinising Budget 2026 to see if the funding backs the promises.
This is celebratory, yes. Because we have things worth celebrating. South Africa is making progress. We are not as bad as we were yesterday.
But celebration isn’t passive. It’s active recognition that we are responsible for protecting and amplifying the truth about our own country. The influence operations targeting us count on our silence, our cynicism, and our willingness to believe the worst about ourselves.
Don’t give them that victory.
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Given SHINGANGE 