Helen Zille's viral alcohol ban hoax: Why some citizens bought into it - EWN

A fake announcement claiming Helen Zille and the Democratic Alliance (DA) wanted to ban alcohol for everyone under the age of 25 attracted nearly 500,000 views during the local government elections, highlighting the reach of misinformation and AI-generated content.

The fabricated announcement, which purported to introduce a blanket prohibition on the possession and consumption of alcohol by under-25s, circulated widely on social media.

Speaking to CapeTalk's John Maytham, Andrew Thompson, who investigated the hoax, said the announcement provided an interesting case study in artificial intelligence and the way disinformation spreads.

Thompson, who works with the Disinformation Desk, said an analysis of the reactions to the announcement revealed that people had responded to it in very different ways.