Viral lies with real consequences are the growing danger confronting South Africans as misinformation spreads unchecked across social media platforms. Earlier this week, South African TV presenter Pabi Moloi found herself at the centre of a storm of false claims and manipulated content circulating widely on Facebook, sparking public outrage and again exposing the platform's failure to curb harmful posts.

Her ordeal is not an isolated incident but part of a much deeper problem: the ease with which malicious actors exploit weak content moderation to target individuals, distort public opinion and inflict lasting personal and reputational damage.

Tsepiso Makwetla speaks to Kirsten Pearson, an activist and development practitioner from the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC), on this growing trend.