Wednesday August 20, 2025
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (HOL) — The Somali Association of South Africa (SASA) has rejected allegations linking it to an attempted bribery case involving Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya, warning that the false claims amplified by local media have endangered its staff and leadership.
The controversy erupted last month when Moya posted on X a recorded phone call in which a man allegedly offered her money to reopen a foreign-owned shop in Mamelodi that had been closed for violating municipal by-laws. The individual introduced himself as the chairperson of a Somali community organization.
Moya later claimed on her social media post that the caller was the chairperson of the Somali Association. Based largely on that post, Independent Online (IOL) published an article headlined “Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya condemns alleged bribery attempt in Mamelodi.”
Abdikadir Mohamed, SASA’s national director, said the man has no connection to the association, which does not have a chairperson in its leadership structure. “The person claiming to be the chairperson of the Somali community board of South Africa has no connection with us,” Mohamed said.
He added that the incident has triggered threats against SASA staff after his picture and the association’s office address were circulated on social media.
“People have taken the picture of the director and posted it on social media platforms like X and Facebook, claiming that we are the ones who contacted the mayor and wanted to bribe the mayor and all those allegations that are untrue information,” he said.
Human rights advocates have also condemned the reporting. Sharon Ekambaram, head of the Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme at Lawyers for Human Rights, said the IOL article “illustrates the harm that poor quality journalism can unleash on unsuspecting individuals and organisations.”
She noted the report was built on a single social media post and comments from the mayor’s spokesperson, without any attempt to contact SASA. “This creates the erroneous impression that the person heading SASA is of questionable repute,” Ekambaram said, warning that the article had compounded the threats facing the association.
Ekambaram further said the effect of IOL’s article “is therefore not only potentially defamatory of SASA and its executive director, it has also put the safety of the organisations’ members at risk.” She added that “many clauses of the press code seem to have been breached by IOL’s article including the duty to: take care to report news truthfully, accurately and fairly; present news in context and in a balanced manner, without any intentional or negligent departure from the facts… verify the accuracy of doubtful information… [and] seek, if practicable, the views of the subject of critical reportage in advance of publication.”
Ekambaram added that “when journalism involves simply amplifying social media posts to garner clicks, rather than reporting on real events in a balanced way, it doesn’t only harm and endanger affected individuals and organisations. It also serves to weaken public trust in the media and in so doing undermine the country’s hard fought for democracy.”
The video and subsequent media coverage fueled online criticism and intensified hostility toward Somali businesses, Mohamed said, adding that some politicians have exploited the claims to cast foreign nationals as criminals or undocumented migrants. “This causes innocent citizens who are not familiar with the facts to turn against foreign nationals in general,” he said.
Refugees and asylum seekers already face worsening conditions in South Africa, including denial of health services, bureaucratic barriers at the Department of Home Affairs, and recurring attacks on Somali shopkeepers.
Founded in 1996, SASA is a migrant-led nonprofit that promotes integration, social cohesion, and self-reliance among asylum seekers and migrants. The association played a prominent role during the 2008 xenophobic attacks and continues to implement youth, sports, and leadership programs that bring communities together.
SASA also works with government institutions, the South African Police Service, civil society organizations, and the Human Rights Commission to improve protection and access to services for migrants.
Mohamed said the organization remains committed to countering misinformation and building stronger ties between South Africans and migrant communities.
“We want to build a society where people live in harmony regardless of their background,” he said.