Exploring the visual rhetoric of political cartoons of post-1994 South African Presidents: a social semiotic analysis study

Abstract

This study explores the visual rhetoric employed in political cartoons depicting South African presidents from the post-apartheid era (1994–2023), specifically through a social semiotic lens. Drawing on cartoons published in The Mail & Guardian and Sunday Times, the research interrogates the latent and manifest meanings encoded in these visual texts, focusing on representations of Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, and Cyril Ramaphosa. Political cartoons serve not only as tools for satire and humour but also as powerful ideological instruments that reflect and shape public opinion, construct political myths, and influence political discourse. By employing social semiotics as the theoretical and methodological framework—complemented by critical discourse analysis (CDA)—this qualitative study decodes the visual and symbolic elements used to frame political narratives. The research analyses twenty political cartoons sourced from the Sabinet Database, selected using purposive sampling to ensure relevance and thematic richness. The study identifies the use of rhetorical devices such as metaphor, caricature, irony, exaggeration, and symbolism to legitimise or delegitimise political actors. Findings reveal that political cartoons are not merely reflective of sociopolitical events but are active sites of meaning-making that reinforce or contest dominant ideologies. They contribute to agenda-setting, construct counter-narratives, and mediate public engagement with political leadership. While Mandela is often portrayed as a unifying and mythologised figure, subsequent presidents are framed with increasing scepticism and critique, reflecting evolving public sentiment and democratic accountability.