The Role of Language through Media in Shaping the Political Outcome in South Africa: Review of 2024 Election Outcomes

Language and media are part of the most important elements that have sought to shape politics across various states for ages. This was seen to be an important factor that led to the growth and decline of various political parties in the 2024 national, provincial and regional elections. Language was used as a tool of communication to manipulate culture and indigenous groups to sway their political support, and the media was the prone tool to carry forth the message. Parties such as the Mkhonto Wesizwe Party, Freedom Front Plus, Democratic Alliance and the Inkatha Freedom Party have used tribal alliance, language, culture and historical relations to gunner for electoral support. In some instances, tribal remarks such as using language and culture were at the core of the party’s development such as Isizulu as well as Afrikaans. Hence, through the qualitative research method, this desktop study sought to understand the role that language and media play in shaping the political outcomes in South Africa focusing on the 2024 elections outcomes. The findings of the study suggest that language through media is part of the fundamental factors shaping political outcomes in South Africa. The paper concludes that language and media are key in understanding the political developments of diverse states such as South Africa. The recommendation suggests that political parties should use this strategy to gain support ahead of the 2026 elections, particularly because there is no outright winner in the 2024 National Elections, and the same can be seen in the Local Government elections. Keywords: Language, Media, Elections Outcomes, 2024 National Elections, Political Outcomes