As local government elections draw closer and a number of South African celebrities make unexpected moves into politics, social media users have once again been circulating fabricated campaign material.
Sne Mseleku became a trending topic after a bogus poster appeared online portraying her as an All Natives of South Africa (Anosa) candidate in KwaZulu-Natal’s Ray Nkonyeni municipality.
The image sparked an intense online discussion, with many people questioning whether Sne had entered politics and wondering how she could have made such a sudden transition into public office.
Her father, prominent polygamist Musa Mseleku, moved quickly to settle the speculation, making it clear that his daughter has no political involvement.
“Sne is not involved in politics,” Musa said.
Online rumours and criticism are familiar territory for the Mseleku family, whose public lives have been closely scrutinised through Sne’s appearances on Uthando Nes’thembu and its successful spin-off, Izingane Zes’thembu.
Musa has previously addressed the backlash directed at his daughter, promising that he would go to any lengths to shield her from social-media trolls.
He said defending Sne was her inherent right, particularly because much of the bullying comes from people who do not know her or understand the difficulties she has faced.
