Parties and candidates must correct false or misleading information within 36 hours
25 September 2026 | 10:20 am
JOHANNESBURG — Political parties and candidates contesting South Africa’s 2026 local government elections are operating under a new Electoral Code of Conduct aimed specifically at tackling election-related disinformation.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa introduced the Disinformation Code ahead of the local government elections scheduled for 4 November 2026.
The code became effective on 4 September and remains in force until the election results are declared.
What the code requires
Political parties and candidates are expected to verify information before distributing it.
If they become aware that they have published false or misleading information, they must publicly retract and correct it within 36 hours.
The code also addresses deceptive online practices, including fake accounts, bot networks and coordinated inauthentic behaviour.
Doxing and cyberbullying are also specifically addressed.
AI-generated content
One of the newer elements is the treatment of artificial-intelligence-generated material.
Parties and candidates must clearly label AI-generated or synthetic content before distributing it.
Political advertising must also be clearly labelled so voters can identify who is behind it.
What is still allowed?
The IEC has made an important distinction between disinformation and legitimate political speech.
The code does not prohibit lawful criticism, opinion, commentary, satire, parody or legitimate democratic debate.
That distinction is important because political campaigns routinely involve competing claims and criticism of opponents.
The focus is on deceptive or false information rather than ordinary political disagreement.
How voters can report suspected disinformation
The IEC has designated Real411 as the platform for reporting suspected election-related disinformation.
Reports can concern information targeting the election process, candidates, political parties, the IEC or its officials.
Why this matters
The 2026 elections will take place in an environment where political information is increasingly distributed through social media platforms.
A false claim can reach thousands of people within minutes.
The IEC’s challenge will be enforcing the code while protecting legitimate political expression.
FACT BOX
- Election: 2026 Local Government Elections
- Election date: 4 November 2026
- Code: Electoral Code of Conduct Countering Disinformation
- Correction period: 36 hours after becoming aware of false/misleading information
- AI content: Must be labelled
- Reporting platform: Real411
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