Media analyst, Makhosini Nkosi, says the Economic Freedom Fighters have embarked on a propaganda war in the run-up to next year’s general elections.
This follows party leader, Julius Malema‘s call to his supporters last month to ‘deal decisively with journalists’, while naming certain media personnel as he addressed supporters outside the State Capture Inquiry.
Some journalists thereafter faced abuse on social media. The South African Editors’ Forum has requested a meeting with the EFF to discuss the matter – which it has rejected, saying it’s too busy preparing for the elections.
“The EFF is fighting an election next year and they are in that mode. As a political party they will use political tactics – which is not favoured by everybody, particularly the media. But those tactics are working for the EFF as their profile is going up, they are dominating the news cycle. That is a good for a party contesting an election. In this situation, they are winning the propaganda war – like on social media people are saying things that not many people are convinced by the position of the editors,” explains Nkosi.
