Architect of viral SA fake news sites identified
The head of a network spreading disinformation in SA, India, Wales, and the US has been identified as Raju ‘Raj’ Singh, a marketer based in northern India with at least nine dubious websites.
In May 2025, a tip-off was received by News24 which linked to a news article that claimed the City of Cape Town was about to implement a congestion tax on motorists entering the city centre.
The story quickly gained traction, prompting an official debunk by the city. But an initial investigation revealed it was not a one-off hoax. Rather, it is part of a larger, co-ordinated network of fake news websites, styled to resemble local news outlets, running hundreds of stories targeting SA.
Topics were varied and published in large quantities, with dozens of entirely fabricated stories about universal basic income grants, the draft National Health Bill, fuel price hikes, and new recycling laws.
The articles on these sites carried the byline ‘Raju Singh’, described in his bio as an ‘experienced journalist’ with ‘more than 10 years of reporting on SA news’.
The bio, like the articles, was fake.
There is no such journalist operating in SA.
At least two sites spreading disinformation in SA used the same generic WordPress theme, the same fake author, and were registered with the same German domain provider.
News24 uncovered nine domains linked to the same account, all of which carried similar content.
Most of these domains targeted Indian and SA audiences with AI-generated fake news and images, and a few spread further to target audiences in the US and Wales.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
