SACOMM Webinar: The Communications Advocacy and Activism Stream
The Communications Advocacy and Activism Stream of the South African Communications Association (SACOMM) organised an online SACOMM webinar on the 30th of April 2025. It was well attended by a range of participants, including SACOMM members, students, and people from the academic community, with over 35 attendees.
Speaker: Koketso Moeti
Topic: ‘I want my faith in journalism/the fourth estate back.’
Koketso Moeti has a long background in civic activism and has over the years worked at the intersection of governance, communication and people power. She currently serves as the founding executive director of amandla.mobi. In 2025 she was announced as a Charles F. Kettering Global Fellow. She is also an inaugural Aspen Advanced Advocacy Fellow; inaugural Keseb Democracy fellow; Mulago Foundation Rainer Arnhold fellow; inaugural Collective Action in Tech fellow; an Atlantic fellow for racial equity; an inaugural Obama fellow and an Aspen Institute New Voices senior fellow. Moeti serves as an expert Advisor to the World Economic Forum’s ‘Partnering with Civil Society in the Fourth Industrial Revolution’ initiative; a WITNESS board member and a founding reference group member for the Civic Tech Innovation Network. She is an alumnus of the Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative (IGLI) summer institute, hosted by the Sié Chéou-Kang Center at the University of Denver. When not working, Moeti can be found writing and has been published by The Guardian, Project Syndicate, City Press, Al Jazeera and the Mail & Guardian among others.
Location: Online via Zoom
Format:
This webinar will consist of a 40-minute presentation by Koketso Moeti, followed by a 20-minute Q&A session.
About the SACOMM Stream
The Communications Advocacy and Activism Stream is one of the key streams of SACOMM, meaning that members teach and research in this area. The Stream’s mission is to collaborate with relevant individuals and organizations and respond to communication-related issues to promote communication education and activism.
Stream Convenor: Dr. Chikezie E. Uzuegbunam, Rhodes University.
Summary of the Webinar
The SACOMM seminar featured a discussion on the role of journalism in democracy, led by Koketso Mweti, a civic activist and founding executive director of Amandla.mobi. Chikezie E. Uzuegbunam welcomed attendees and emphasized the importance of the event, which included a presentation followed by a Q&A session. Koketso encouraged audience participation by posing questions about the significance of journalism, setting the stage for an interactive dialogue on the future of the industry.
Anthea Garman highlighted the critical role of journalists in holding power accountable, using the Gupta leaks as a case study. Chikezie presented a more optimistic view of societal progress, while Evelyn Odhiambo cautioned that improvements in quality of life are not universal. The discussion then shifted to the future of journalism, with Tanya and Sara noting the industry’s adaptation to digital changes, although some participants expressed concerns about the preparedness of certain aspects of journalism to meet upcoming challenges.
Koketso shared personal experiences that illustrated the impact of journalism on community issues, emphasizing the need for media to prioritize informing the public amidst rising misinformation. He discussed the mixed effects of journalism, citing examples of both its successes and failures in addressing societal issues. The conversation also touched on the importance of verifying facts and the role of journalists in combating misinformation, with participants encouraged to share their perspectives on these challenges.
The seminar concluded with a focus on online activism and its implications for journalism. Koketso and Silas Udenze discussed the complexities of digital spaces in activism, warning against the dominance of digital oligarchs and the potential for misinformation to undermine legitimate concerns. Koketso also addressed disparities in internet access and the need for democratic ownership in digital spaces. The session underscored the interconnectedness of activism, social change, and media, highlighting opportunities for collaboration among participants.