Pretoria – The South African government has opened talks with social media giant TikTok to explore a possible partnership aimed at promoting accurate information, online safety, and digital literacy across the country.
Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Kenny Morolong, met with TikTok South Africa executives on Thursday at the GCIS offices in Hatfield, Pretoria. The engagement formed part of government’s efforts to strengthen ties with global digital platforms that influence how young people access and share information.
TikTok’s government relations team briefed officials on its work with public institutions, including the Independent Electoral Commission, to curb misinformation during election periods. The team explained that the platform uses both artificial intelligence and human moderators based in Singapore and London to detect and remove harmful content, while responding to government requests in line with global moderation standards.
The company also outlined its programmes designed to build digital skills, educate users on responsible online behaviour, and help them understand how content is recommended on the platform.
Morolong described the meeting as a significant step toward improving how government communicates with citizens in the digital space. He said the GCIS’s role was to ensure the public had access to verified and reliable information and that working with social media platforms could help curb the spread of false content.
TikTok proposed a number of collaboration areas, including training for government communicators on the platform’s content rules and verification systems, as well as whitelisting official government accounts to prevent them from being flagged as political material.
The company reiterated its global stance that while political campaigning is prohibited, it supports government-led initiatives focused on education, safety, and public awareness. It also offered to connect government departments with vetted TikTok creators who could help spread national messages to wider audiences.
GCIS Acting Deputy Director-General for Content Processing and Dissemination, Sandile Nene, said such partnerships could boost government outreach, particularly among young South Africans who rely heavily on digital platforms for news and information.
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