I-Centre for Information Resilience igqamise inkambiso ebalulekile ezinkundleni zokuxhumana, lapho izinkundla ezake zaba semqoka ekuthuthukiseni izintshisekelo zezwe laseRussia sezishintshele ukugxila eNingizimu Afrika. Lawa mapulatifomu manje abonakala eqoqa ukwesekwa kwe uMkhonto weSizwe I-Party (MKP), inhlangano evunywe owayenguMengameli waseNingizimu Afrika, u-Jacob Zuma. Lokhu kuthuthukiswa kusikhanyisela ngesu elibanzi le-Moscow lokuthonya imiphumela yokhetho emhlabeni wonke, ukusebenzisa inkundla yezokuxhumana ukuxhasa abaholi abahambisana ne-ajenda yayo.
Ukulandisa kokuzibandakanya kweRussia ekuguquleni umbono womphakathi ngezinkundla zokuxhumana akukusha. Izimo ezingokomlando, ikakhulukazi izinsolo zokugxambukela okhethweni lwase-US lwango-2016, zagcizelela indima yenkundla yezokuxhumana ekukhuthazeni ukungathembani ezinqubweni nasezikhungweni zokhetho. Amaqhinga afanayo abonwe e-Afrika, lapho izinkundla zokuxhumana zisetshenziselwe ukuqinisa imibuso yezempi esekela iRussia, ikakhulukazi eNtshonalanga Afrika.
UJacob Zuma, ongumengameli waseNingizimu Afrika kusukela ngo-2009 kuya ku-2018, owaziwa ngokuqinisa ubudlelwano neMoscow, umemezele ukweseka kwakhe iMKP phezu kweqembu elibusayo i-African National Congress okhethweni oluzayo. Kamuva, ama-akhawunti amaningana ezinkundla zokuxhumana, ikakhulukazi enkundleni X (owayeyi-Twitter), abekhuluma ngokufana phakathi kukaZuma noMongameli waseRussia u-Vladimir Putin, kuyilapho encoma izenzo zezempi zaseRussia e-Ukraine kusukela ngoFebhuwari 2022.
U-Tom Southern, umqondisi wamaphrojekthi akhethekile e-Center for Information Resilience esezinze eLondon, ugqamise ukuba khona okubalulekile ku-inthanethi kwalawa ma-akhawunti. Enye i-akhawunti enjalo inabalandeli ababalelwa ku-170,000 futhi ibilokhu isekela i-MKP noZuma, kwesinye isikhathi ifinyelela imibono engaphezu kwesigidi esisodwa ngokuthunyelwe ngakunye. Lo mkhankaso wedijithali uhlanganisa ukukhuthazwa kwe-MKP nokuncoma iRussia kanye nokugxeka umongameli wamanje waseNingizimu Afrika, uCyril Ramaphosa.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, lawa ma-akhawunti asabalalise amanga ajulile alowo owabe enguMengameli waseMelika uDonald Trump egunyaza uZuma, abanye abathi badabuka eRussia naseBurkina Faso—izwe elingaphansi kombuso wezempi eliya ngokuya lihambisana neMoscow.
Ephendula imibuzo mayelana nobunikazi balawa ma-akhawunti, umkhulumeli we-MKP uNhlamulo Ndlela uzwakalise ukungaqiniseki ngokuba semthethweni kwawo, ephakamisa ukuthi angaba abasakaza inkulumo-ze ngokwemvelo. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, umkhulumeli we-Kremlin u-Dmitry Peskov ukunqabile noma yikuphi ukubandakanyeka kweRussia kulawa ma-akhawunti.
Ochwepheshe abafana noPriyal Singh, umcwaningi omkhulu e-Institute for Security Studies ePitoli, bathola ukuhlobana phakathi kwamaqhinga aseRussia okubulala izinambuzane kanye nokwesekwa kweqembu likaZuma akumangazi. U-Singh ukhomba ubudlelwano obude phakathi kwe-African National Congress, izinhlangano ezihlangene nayo, kanye nezikhulu zaseRussia, kusukela emashumini eminyaka edlule.
I-Africa Centre for Strategic Studies ibike ukwanda kwemikhankaso yaseRussia yokusabalalisa ulwazi nge-disinformation kulo lonke elase-Afrika, imvamisa iqondise amazwe anentando yeningi entekenteke ukuze afake noma agcine imibuso evumelana neMoscow. INingizimu Afrika, nezikhungo zayo eziqinile, igqame ngenxa yobudlelwano bomlando phakathi kwezikhulu zayo kwezombusazwe neRussia, kusukela ngezikhathi zobandlululo lapho abanye osopolitiki bethola ukuqeqeshwa ezweni elaliyiSoviet Union.
Ngaphansi kobuholi bukaZuma, iNingizimu Afrika yajoyina iBRICS yalandela isivumelwano esinezinxushunxushu samandla enuzi neRussia, sigqamisa ukuxhumana okujulile phakathi kwalawa mazwe womabili. Ubuholi bukaZuma buphele ngo-2018 ngenxa yezinsolo zenkohlakalo, njengoba ucwaningo lwakamuva luveza ukuthi kube noshintsho olukhulu kwezombusazwe, okungase kwehlise ukubusa kwe-ANC okokuqala ngqa kusukela ngo-1994.
Siyini Isikhungo Sokuqinisela Ulwazi?
Kusukela ngoJanuwari 2021, uhulumeni wase-UK ubeke ngaphezulu kuka-£2.7 wezigidi eSikhungweni Sokuqina Kolwazi esizinze eLondon (CIR), cishe ama-40% alolu xhaso akhishwa kulandela ukuqala kokuhlasela kweRussia e-Ukraine ngomhla zingama-24 kuFebhuwari 2022.
I-CIR izichaza kuwebhusayithi yayo njengebhizinisi lenhlalakahle elingenzi nzuzo elizinikele ekulweni nokungahloniphi ulwazi, ukudalula ukuphulwa kwamalungelo abantu, kanye nokubhekana nokulimala okuku-inthanethi okuqondiswe kwabesifazane nabancane.
URoss Burley no-Adam Rutland, bobabili abanezizinda eHhovisi Lezangaphandle, basungule i-CIR futhi bayaqhubeka nokwengamela ukusebenza kwayo njengabaqondisi.
UBurley unomlando wokuzibandakanya ezinhlelweni ezahlukene zikahulumeni wase-UK okuhloswe ngazo ukulwa ne-disinformation phakathi kuka-2017 no-2020, esebenze ezindaweni eziphawulekayo ezifana neLondon, iWashington, neTel Aviv. Ngesikhathi ehlala kwa-Israel kusukela ngo-2012 kuya ku-2014, wayeyisikhulu sezindaba ehhovisi lenxusa laseBrithani. Njengamanje, ufaka isandla Ophikweni Lokuzinzisa lukahulumeni wase-UK Njengongcweti Ongathunyelwa Izakhamuzi kwezokuxhumana zamasu, indima esekela imizamo yase-UK ezifundazweni ezithintwa ubuthakathaka nezingxabano, kanye nemisebenzi yezizwe ngezizwe.
Ngaphambi kokuthi asungule i-CIR, uBurley uphinde wasebenza neZinc Network, usonkontileka obalulekile kahulumeni wase-UK osebenza nge-disinformation, kusukela ngo-2017 kuya ku-2020. Iminikelo yakhe ethile e-Zinc ayinamininingwane, nakuba le nhlangano yathinteka ekuphikisaneni okuyimfihlo. Uhlelo lobuphekula olubhekiswe emphakathini wamaSulumane ngo-2019.
U-Adam Rutland, uzakwethu ka-Burley ekusunguleni i-CIR, unesipiliyoni seminyaka engu-14 eHhovisi Lezangaphandle, okuhlanganisa indima yezokuxhumana kanye nokuxoxisana kanye nezikhundla zobunxusa e-Jakarta, e-Indonesia.
Amarekhodi ezezimali e-CIR kusukela ngo-2020-2021 abonisa ukuthi umsebenzi wokubonisana owenziwe u-Burley no-Rutland we-CIR ufanekisela ngokuseduze imisebenzi yabo yangaphambilini Yehhovisi Lezangaphandle. Amadokhumenti agqamisa ukuthi inani lansuku zonke labaqondisi lisethwe ku-£620, eliphansi kakhulu kunenani lika-£900 elaligunyazwe ngaphambilini uHulumeni wase-UK ngezinkonzo ezifanayo ezinikezwa abaqondisi ngaphambi kokusungulwa kwe-CIR.
Bheka Gedleyihlekisa ukuze ufunde okwengeziwe.