South Africa will launch a specialised social media monitoring unit that tracks the activities of criminals online, authorities say.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) says the initiative follows investigations after the 2021 unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, where 350 people were killed, South Africa’s government media SABC reports.
“We have various capabilities within the SAPS that are already dealing with social media, the social media space, and ensuring that we monitor it, but obviously if such a team is put in place, it’s to enhance and improve our capabilities,” National Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said.
The unrest coincided with the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma for contempt of court on July 8, 2021.
Online activities
Police on Monday said the violence from the protests highlighted the need for closer scrutiny of online activities.
Authorities said in January that the violence and destruction during the protests caused damage to infrastructure and businesses, costing South Africa’s economy some R50 billion ($2.7 million), with a further two million jobs being lost or affected.
Social Media has been identified as the rallying point for many political protests.
On June 25, thousands of protesters took to the streets across the East African country to oppose a new finance bill that proposes tax hikes amid frustrations over the high cost of living.
The protesters, many of them youth, have relied on social media to mobilise for the protests that started last week and have been sharing footage and photos of violent clashes with the police.
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