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Sign displaying the direction in which the voting station is located.
The Electoral Commission (IEC) has flagged the double-edged sword that social media represents to South Africa’s electoral democracy.
This happened at the launch of its Communication Campaign for the 2026 Local Government Elections in Midrand, Johannesburg.
The IEC says that through its collaboration with civil society ahead of this year’s poll, it has taken additional measures to counteract the negative effects of social media.
The Commission’s Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo, “We are reinforcing the fight against the threat to information accuracy and electoral integrity through policy development. Based on the Constitution and other pertinent prescripts, the Commission will shortly issue a draft Code of Conduct on Misinformation for Public Comment. The draft Code will seek to embed specific protection against fraudulent and manipulated content with a view to preserving information integrity in the elections.”
LIVE: IEC launches communications campaign ahead of 2026 Local Government Elections
