Murmur Intelligence reported that the anti-foreigner movement reclaimed the top position in South Africa’s online political discourse between 9 and 15 October 2026. This period occurred three weeks before the 4 November local elections. The data, tracked across X and public Facebook pages, showed that two anti-immigration communities generated 43% of all political posts on X from 24% of accounts. These groups also recorded the highest buzzer scores among large communities, indicating sustained coordinated amplification.

According to Daily Maverick, the primary catalyst for this surge was the Department of Home Affairs’ removal of its online asylum directive. Activist Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma told followers that while the directive was removed, the underlying Constitutional Court judgment remained. Her network, supported by Busisiwe Mkhwebane, advocated for a referendum and exiting the 1951 Refugee Convention. A News24 investigation into Ngobese-Zuma’s tenders and funding further intensified the debate, prompting hashtags such as #HandsOffJacinta and #WeAreJacinta. ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba and the MK party also rallied to her support, while on Facebook, Operation Dudula became the third most-engaged political page.

The Constitutional Court simultaneously intensified political disputes by reinstating ANC candidates. The court upheld the ANC’s appeal regarding a missed candidate submission deadline, ordering the Electoral Commission of South Africa to include the ANC’s lists in six municipalities. FF Plus’s Corné Mulder described the decision as “a very controversial ruling”, while AfriForum-aligned voices criticised the court as “packed with pro-ANC judges”. ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula gave an emotional statement that went viral on Facebook, further fueling the narrative of judicial bias among opponents.

Other political communities showed varying levels of activity. The Afrikaner rights community’s share of posts fell to 13%, shifting its focus from international relations to domestic issues like farm attacks and the court ruling. The EFF supporters community generated 8.5% of posts, focusing on a closing rally at Orlando Stadium and Tlaleng Mofokeng’s Johannesburg mayoral bid. Meanwhile, suspected undisclosed paid campaigns began targeting individual politicians. A campaign for Tshwane Mayor Tlangi Mogale surfaced, with @mizar_rr posting #TlangiMogaleForANCMayor. Mogale publicly denied paying for support after a deleted post by Miss Ziprusha suggested otherwise. Smaller pushes also promoted the South African Local Government Association summit and a podcast on South Africa-US relations.