Listen to the article
In a troubling case of digital disinformation, radio and TV presenter Pabi Moloi recently became the target of a viral death hoax that spread rapidly across Facebook, highlighting growing concerns about technology-facilitated gender-based violence and the role of celebrity gossip pages in spreading harmful falsehoods.
Moloi was forced to address these rumors directly on the “It’s a Brother and a Sister” podcast in an episode titled “Still Alive and Better Than Ever,” where she debunked the conspiracy theories circulating about her supposed death.
An investigation by the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC) traced the origin of the false information to a Facebook page called “Mzansi Celebrities,” which has over 2.3 million followers. On October 18, the page posted a misleading image with heartbreak and dove emojis that strongly implied Moloi had died. The post cleverly linked to an article about her weight loss on a site called Celebrity Breeze, but the presentation led many users to believe she had passed away.
The disinformation campaign spread at an alarming rate, with multiple similar Facebook pages reposting the same content—complete with identical grammatical errors—within minutes of the original post. Pages including “Mzansi Soapies and Teaser,” “Mzansi Trending,” and “Mzansi Finest Celebs” amplified the false narrative, creating an echo chamber of misinformation.
Distressed by the rumors, Moloi posted a video on social media stating: “Guys, I’m alive. I’m very much alive. October 20th, 2025, and I’m alive… I literally saw someone say RIP. Well, I’m going to have a ripping rest of my life and I’m still here – tell your friends.”
Another Facebook account, “Viral Trends,” further fueled the disinformation by posting an outright false claim about Moloi with hashtags like #RIPPabiMoloi and #GoneButNotForgotten, cementing the fake narrative in the minds of social media users.
This incident is not merely about spreading rumors but represents a form of gendered harm. The death hoax followed ongoing commentary and body shaming regarding Moloi’s weight loss. These gossip pages, while posing as celebrity news platforms, frequently recycle misleading headlines and use clickbait tactics to drive traffic to monetized content, showing little regard for the real-world consequences of their actions.
Perhaps most concerning is that “Mzansi Celebrities” and similar accounts are repeat offenders. The same page previously spread death hoaxes about TV personality Sophie Ndaba and fabricated stories about the cause of death of Nathi Mthethwa. More recently, they falsely implied that filmmaker Leon Schuster had died—another claim that proved entirely false.
Despite the CABC reporting these posts to Facebook using the platform’s reporting functionality, many of the falsehoods remain online and continue to receive engagement. When CABC submitted a detailed report to Facebook representatives, they received a response claiming appropriate action had been taken, yet subsequent checks revealed the posts were still visible and the accounts remained active.
Adding insult to injury, “Mzansi Celebrities” later posted about Moloi’s experience of “hearing that you’ve died while you’re still very much alive,” directing readers to another Celebrity Breeze article—turning their own harmful misinformation into further content for profit.
The anonymity afforded to users on social media platforms compounds the problem, as those spreading harmful content can often do so without fear of consequences. Many accounts operate behind vague usernames and profile pictures that reveal little about their true identities.
These events highlight significant gaps in Facebook’s content moderation systems, particularly regarding rapidly spreading disinformation and gendered abuse. While the platform profits from the engagement these sensational posts generate, the responsibility for debunking falsehoods unfairly falls on the victims themselves.
Moloi’s experience underscores a broader failure of social media platforms to adequately regulate harmful content, raising important questions about platform responsibility and the real-world impact of digital disinformation on public figures—particularly women in the media spotlight.
Fact Checker
Verify the accuracy of this article using The Disinformation Commission analysis and real-time sources.
14 Comments
While it’s good that Pabi Moloi was able to debunk the false rumors about her, the fact that they spread so rapidly in the first place is really concerning. Social media companies need to do more to address the root causes of misinformation.
I’m curious to know more about the role of celebrity gossip pages in propagating these kinds of false rumors. Do they do this knowingly, or is it more a matter of lax content moderation and fact-checking?
Good question. The report suggests the pages may be intentionally presenting misleading information to drive engagement, which is concerning. Stronger content policies and enforcement are needed to address this issue.
It’s troubling to see how quickly misinformation can spread, especially when it involves high-profile individuals like Pabi Moloi. This case underscores the urgent need for social media platforms to improve their response to viral falsehoods.
While it’s good that Pabi Moloi was able to address the false rumors directly, the fact that the misinformation spread so quickly is concerning. Social media platforms need to be more proactive in detecting and removing this kind of content.
This is a clear example of how digital disinformation can have real-world impacts, particularly when it involves gender-based violence. I hope this incident leads to meaningful changes in how social media companies address these problems.
Agreed. Platforms like Facebook need to do more to protect users, especially vulnerable groups, from harassment and harmful misinformation. Stronger policies and enforcement are crucial.
I hope this incident leads to renewed calls for stronger regulation and oversight of social media platforms. The consequences of unchecked misinformation can be devastating, as we’ve seen in this case.
Agreed. Policymakers need to step up and hold these platforms accountable for the harms caused by the spread of viral falsehoods on their networks.
This is a concerning case of how misinformation can spread rapidly on social media platforms like Facebook. The death hoax against Pabi Moloi highlights the need for better content moderation and fact-checking to prevent such harmful falsehoods.
Absolutely. Facebook needs to take more responsibility in curbing the spread of viral misinformation, especially when it targets public figures and can have real-world consequences.
This case highlights the urgent need for better digital literacy and media education, so that social media users can more easily identify and avoid falling for viral misinformation. Platforms alone cannot solve this problem.
The role of celebrity gossip pages in amplifying this kind of misinformation is really troubling. These pages should be held accountable for the harm they cause by prioritizing engagement over facts.
Absolutely. More transparency and stronger content moderation policies are needed to prevent these pages from spreading harmful falsehoods, especially those that target public figures.