Kenny Morolong Holds Talk with TikTok to Boost Digital Literacy and Combat Misinformation

Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Kenny Morolong, has held a strategic engagement with executives from TikTok South Africa to strengthen collaboration between government and the digital platform in advancing responsible communication and digital literacy. The meeting took place at GCIS headquarters in Hatfield, Pretoria, on Thursday.

The dialogue formed part of the government’s broader agenda to foster cooperation with leading digital platforms in promoting accurate public information, countering misinformation, and ensuring safer online spaces.

Strengthening Collaboration on Information Integrity

During the session, TikTok’s government relations team provided an overview of its existing partnerships with regulators, including the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), aimed at safeguarding the integrity of online information during elections. The platform outlined its approach to content moderation, which combines artificial intelligence and human oversight, with moderation teams operating out of Singapore and London.

“Our moderation process is designed to identify and remove harmful or misleading content in real time. We also respond to legitimate government requests in accordance with our community guidelines and global moderation frameworks,” a TikTok representative explained.

Supporting Government Communication Goals

Deputy Minister Morolong emphasized that partnerships with major digital platforms are essential to the GCIS’s mandate of ensuring that the public remains well-informed through accurate and accessible information.

“Collaboration in this regard would be an important one, as the role of GCIS is to ensure that the public is informed,” Morolong stated, adding that joint initiatives with TikTok could greatly enhance the government’s ability to communicate effectively with younger, digitally active audiences.

Morolong further noted that the GCIS’s responsibility includes building trust in government communication and ensuring that digital channels are leveraged to counter disinformation campaigns.

Building Capacity and Digital Skills

TikTok proposed several initiatives, including training workshops for government communicators to enhance their understanding of the platform’s content policies, verification processes, and audience engagement strategies. The company also offered to whitelist verified government accounts, ensuring that official messaging is not misclassified as political advertising by automated systems.

The platform reiterated its global policy against paid political content but expressed openness to supporting educational and awareness campaigns driven by public institutions. “While political campaigning is not permitted on TikTok, we are committed to working with governments on initiatives that inform and empower citizens,” the company’s team said.

Empowering Creators and Promoting Online Safety

TikTok’s executives also highlighted opportunities for collaboration with vetted content creators who align with government messaging, suggesting that such partnerships could help amplify public-interest campaigns. “We can assist by identifying creators whose audiences match the objectives of national campaigns, provided we receive clear briefs and goals,” TikTok’s operations team added.

The platform further shared insights into its monetisation and data analytics programmes, explaining how these tools can help measure the reach and impact of communication campaigns. It also underscored its contribution to the ongoing Audio-Visual and Online Safety White Paper process, which aims to improve the governance of digital content in South Africa.

Commitment to Responsible Digital Citizenship

GCIS Acting Deputy Director-General for Content Processing and Dissemination, Sandile Nene, echoed the Deputy Minister’s sentiments, noting that TikTok’s collaboration could significantly boost government messaging and public engagement.

“The partnership presents an opportunity to harness the platform’s vast user base for public information campaigns while promoting responsible and informed online behaviour,” Nene said.

As the government continues its efforts to modernize communication channels, the meeting marked a significant step toward integrating social media innovation with public information objectives — ensuring that South Africans are not only better informed but also better equipped to navigate the digital world responsibly.