Navigating online harassment in the digital jungle

IF THE internet were a city, it would be a dizzying mash-up of Times Square, a university library, a dodgy nightclub, and a kindergarten playground, open all night, bright, loud, and full of people who should probably be supervised. Most of us stroll through this digital city daily: scrolling, posting, sharing memes we think are funnier than they really are. But some unlucky people bump into the dark alleyways of the online world where trolls lurk, insults fly, and harassment feels as real as someone pounding on your actual front door.

Online harassment isn’t just “mean comments” or “someone having a bad day.” It’s persistent, targeted behaviour intended to intimidate, degrade, silence, or scare. It might arrive as hundreds of messages from anonymous profiles. It might be revenge porn shared by an ex with the emotional maturity of a damp towel. It might be doxing your phone number, address, or workplace posted online for strangers to play detective with. And just like real-world harassment, it can leave people anxious, humiliated, unsafe, and exhausted.

But here’s the plot twist many victims don’t know: South African law actually has your back. In fact, it has several powerful tools designed specifically to deal with digital villains who think a Wi-Fi connection makes them untouchable.

1.The Protection from Harassment Act (PHA): the PHA is your legal pepper spray. You just need evidence screenshots, messages, emails, comments, voice notes. With that, you can apply for a Protection Order, which forces the offender to stop contacting, threatening, or posting about you. If they ignore the order? They can be arrested not just blocked.

2. The Cybercrimes Act: our relatively new Cybercrimes Act is like the Avengers of digital law designed specifically for the chaos of the online world. It criminalises:

- Cyberbullying

- Malicious communications

- Revenge porn (explicit images shared without consent)

- Threats, intimidation, or incitement posted online

- Sharing someone’s nude images without consent? That’s a crime. Sending threatening messages? A crime. Posting someone’s personal info with the intention to cause harm? Crime.

The police must investigate these. No more being sent home with “just block them.” This is no longer schoolyard advice; it’s a criminal offence.

3. Defamation: when Wwe all love a bit of online drama until someone goes too far. Calling you a “scammer” or a “fraud” without proof? Making allegations that damage your reputation or business? That’s defamation. You can sue for damages. And screenshots hold up beautifully in court.

4. When employers Step in: if the harassment happens at work or between colleagues your employer may have a legal duty to act under labour law. Online misconduct can lead to disciplinary action, even dismissal.

Your first 5 steps if harassed online

1. Don’t engage. Trolls feed on attention.

2. Screenshot everything. Evidence is gold. Save dates, URLs, profiles.

3. Report and block. Platforms like Instagram, X, and Facebook actually do remove violators.

4. Lay a charge under the Cybercrimes Act at your nearest police station.

5. Apply for a Protection Order at court.

The law is a powerful shield, but the real victory will come when society stops treating online cruelty as entertainment. Behind every screen is a real person, someone’s mother, colleague, friend, or teenager.

We need to normalise reporting. We need to normalise zero-tolerance. And most of all, we need to teach the world that being anonymous online isn’t a licence to behave like a gremlin after midnight.

The internet is our shared digital city. We can’t shut it down. But we can insist that everyone obeys the law while living in it. And for the trolls who refuse? Well South African law has a very well-lit path straight to accountability.

Yolanda Akram is the Director of Akram and Company Inc and a human rights attorney with a strong focus on harassment, digital abuse, and the protection of vulnerable individuals in both physical and online spaces. An international author, Akram has built her career on giving a voice to the silenced and ensuring that the law serves as both shield and remedy. You can reach her on [email protected]. 

THE POST