Source: Facebook
The African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal’s Facebook page has been hacked, according to party spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela.
“The hackers appear to have gained access to the page’s security settings and removed all admin personnel who are members of the ANC’s Department of Information and Publicity,” said Ntombela.
It is understood the hackers are also attempting to report the page to Facebook with the intention of getting it removed from the social media platform.
The ANC said it “condemns this unscrupulous act of cyber-bullying in the strongest possible terms; it is disturbing and unacceptable”.
“Our political opponents are clearly threatened by the popularity of the page, which had become the ANC KZN’s trusted voice and authority on information,” added the party.
The party said it has experienced a “plethora of attacks over time” and it was only a matter of time before its “enemies” sabotaged the party’s social media page.
“We are appealing to the public to be circumspect when engaging with the page in its current form, and not to interact with it or accede to any pleas that the hijackers of our page might make, including requests for money transfers, as per popular modus operandi that hackers tend to employ,” said Ntombela.
“We also want the doers of such nefarious deeds to know that we will not be intimidated or deterred by their actions and that every dog has its day.”
The party has vowed that the law will catch up with hackers and promised: “there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Since its inception, the page has reached just under 80,000 followers. The KZN branch uses its Facebook page primarily to deliver news updates and party relevant content.
It serves as a reliable source of information for the public, and various major local and international news outlets.
Ntombela added: “We are working around the clock to rectify this security breach. The ANC in KZN will provide an update regarding this matter in due course.”
Compiled by Narissa Subramoney
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