South Africans are urged to do their part in protecting the integrity of election-related news by reporting misinformation they spot as the country moves towards the Local Government Elections (LGE) on 4 November.
Members of the public who encounter suspicious election-related content are encouraged to report it directly to the Electoral Commission’s (IEC) designated Real411 platform at: https://real411.org.za/complaints/submit.
Process:
• Submit – you lodge your complaint through Real411, with supporting evidence.
• Review – the Digital Complaints Committee checks whether it falls within scope.
• Decision – a sub-committee decides on the appropriate action, which may include referral to the IEC, the police, the South African Human Rights Commission, the Press Ombud, or the Electoral Court.
• Notification – you’re told the outcome and guided on how to appeal if relevant.
• Appeal – if you disagree with the decision by the Real411 Digital Complaints Committee, you can approach the Secretariat in writing to lodge an appeal with the Appeals Committee. Submit your appeal listing the complaint ID and your reasons for appeal to: secretariat@real411.org.za
“Don’t be the one who spreads it. If you’ve reported something and it's confirmed as disinformation, share that outcome with the people you shared the original post with. Correcting the record matters as much as catching the lie.
“Become a disinformation spotter. Becoming a Real411 Rover Spotter means joining a community of digital detectives who help keep South Africa's online spaces safe – by spotting fake news, dodgy posts, hate speech, and disinformation, and helping fact-check the truth,” the Commission urged on its website.
Solidifying safeguards
The public call to action forms a vital line of defence as South Africa bolsters its safeguards to protect the credibility of the upcoming LGE.
In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) and digital platforms can sway public perception at the touch of a button, South Africa is bolstering its defences to protect the credibility of the elections.
Earlier this month, the Electoral Commission (IEC), alongside key state research institutions, civil society, and global technology firms, established a multi-pronged front aimed at shielding citizens from online manipulation, deceptive synthetic media, and coordinated campaign interference.
Central to this defensive strategy is a landmark agreement uniting the election authority with major social media channels and advocacy groups.
The Commission announced a partnership with Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and non-profit organisation Moxii Africa – previously known as Media Monitoring Africa – to ensure the integrity of election information and counter disinformation ahead of elections.
The Commission’s Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo highlighted that the IEC is building upon lessons learned during previous national polls with direct collaboration with tech companies viewed as a critical step in preserving democratic processes.
“Our partnership with digital platforms is critical to ensuring that voters have access to credible, accurate and trustworthy information to make informed political choices. A technically flawless election can still lose public trust if citizens are overwhelmed by disinformation.
“Therefore, the partnership eliminates barriers to direct access to the platforms and enables instantaneous remedial action against disinformation peddlers,” Mamabolo said.
The partnership is a sequel to a similar framework signed with the platforms ahead of the 2024 National and Provincial Elections and is viewed as an indispensable lever buttressing the Commission’s purposive measures to enhance the integrity of election information.
Regulatory framework and partner commitments
To establish clear legal guardrails, the Commission gazetted the Electoral Code of Conduct Countering Disinformation in the Local Government Elections last month (September).
The code applies directly to political parties and candidates and, crucially, has teeth in the form of vital enforcement sanctions for violations.
Parallel to this framework, technology partners are leveraging in-app tools, official labels and fact-checking networks to point voters toward authoritative resources.
Director of Government Affairs at Microsoft South Africa, Abongile Vanda, underscored the importance of credible information during an election.
“Free, fair and credible elections depend on people being able to trust the information they see. No single organisation can tackle disinformation alone, which is why Microsoft is pleased to join the Electoral Commission in this partnership.
“Ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections, we will work alongside the Commission, civil society and industry to help voters find authoritative election information, strengthen media and AI literacy, and counter deceptive AI-generated content,” Vanda said.
TikTok Government Relations and Public Policy Lead for Southern Africa, Tholoana Ncheke-Mahlaela, set forth the social media platform’s role in countering election misinformation.
“At TikTok, we recognise the important role our platform plays in helping people discover information and engage in public conversations. This is why we take our responsibility to protect our community during elections very seriously.
“Through our in-app Election Centre, South Africans will be able to access reliable information about the elections...to ensure a safe, informed, and authentic election experience for our community,” Ncheke-Mahlaela explained.
Director of Moxii Africa, William Bird, described credible information as “fundamental to the credibility of any democratic process”.
“In an increasingly complex digital environment, protecting voters from misinformation and disinformation requires coordinated action across institutions, technology platforms, civil society and citizens themselves.
“This partnership represents an important commitment to ensuring that South Africans can access accurate, trustworthy election information,” Bird emphasised.
Technological solutions
Complementing policy and platform agreements, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is calling for partnerships to bring advanced scientific tools to the front line.
Researchers at the CSIR have warned that generative AI has “industrialised” the creation of fake media – flooding public networks with synthetic video, voice clones and emotionally charged narratives designed to manipulate voters.
“The challenge is enormous. Whether it is data, infrastructure, resources or funding, all these elements can make a significant difference to our coordinated efforts. We would welcome your participation in strengthening and expanding this network.
“You do not know what is real and what is AI-generated. If we, as researchers, experience this fatigue when analysing information and data, can you imagine what ordinary South Africans are experiencing when they are overwhelmed with information and are uncertain about what is real or fake?” the CSIR’s Avi Moodley stated during a recent webinar.
To support fact-checkers and analysts overwhelmed by high volumes of digital content, the CSIR has developed specialised technical projects including the Informed Fake News Advisor Project.
This technology is not necessarily intended for everyday use by ordinary South Africans but for the benefit of fact-checkers who are “on the front lines, working through large volumes of information to identify potentially problematic content that requires further investigation and reporting”.
“We are also working on developing an information triage system that takes the available information, together with variables and inputs generated by the Informed Fake News Advisor, and helps prioritise content for further assessment.
“This technology is still a work in progress. We are currently looking at using the upcoming elections as an opportunity to test some of these technologies so that we can strengthen our capabilities as we move from the local government elections towards the next national elections,” Moodley said.
The council’s reporting technologies are currently being tested.
“This technology is not necessarily intended for everyday use by ordinary South Africans. Rather, it could benefit fact-checkers who are on the front lines, working through large volumes of information to identify potentially problematic content that requires further investigation and reporting.
“We are currently looking at using the upcoming elections as an opportunity to test some of these technologies so that we can strengthen our capabilities as we move from the local government elections towards the next national elections,” Moodley said. – SAnews.gov.za
