Noting that free and fair election depend on procedural correctness and on credible information that is key to shaping the voters’ choices, the Electoral Commission of South Africa promulgated the Electoral Code of Conduct Countering Disinformation in the Local Government elections (the Disinformation Code) on Friday, 4 September 2026.
This Code is intended to enhance election integrity, promote free, fair and orderly local government elections ahead of the 4 November 2026 Local Government Elections. It permits lawful criticism, opinion, commentary, fair reporting, satire, parody or legitimate democratic debate insofar as these fall within the realm of protected speech.
The publication of the Disinformation Code is in terms of section 88(a) of the Local Government: Municipal Electoral Act 27 of 2000 (the Act), and it is part of the Electoral Code of Conduct. Meaning, the Disinformation Code is subject to the same sanctions application in the contravention of the Electoral Code of Conduct as contemplated in theAct.
Who it covers
The Code provides rail guards for the conduct of political parties, candidates and anyone acting on political parties’ or candidate’s instruction, authority or for reward across all election-related communication, whether online or offline, paid or unpaid. The Code protects legitimate debate and robust debate.
What parties and candidates commit to Under the Code, political parties and candidates must:
- Check information for accuracy before sharing it, and take responsibility for content published by them, for them, or on their behalf.
- Publicly retract and correct any false or misleading information within 36 hours of becoming aware of it, and censure those responsible where appropriate.
- Avoid deceptive practices – including fake accounts, bot networks, coordinated inauthentic behaviour, doxing and cyberbullying.
- Label AI-generated (“synthetic”) content clearly before distributing it.
- Clearly label political advertising, so the public can identify who is behind it.
- Report instances of online disinformation to Real411 within 36 hours of becoming aware of them.
- Promote awareness of the Code among their members and supporters and support broader efforts on media literacy and voter education.
The Code also specifically prohibits disinformation targeting the Electoral Commission, or its staff, requiring parties and candidates to correct it publicly where it occurs.
Where to report disinformation
The Commission has designated the digital disinformation reporting and tracking platform Real411 for reporting suspected disinformation under the Code. The Real411 platform is accessible to any individual members of society, political parties, candidates, and organisations wishing to report suspected election-related disinformation. This could be disinformation targeting the electoral process, contestants, the Electoral Commission and its staff. The Real411 is accessible at https://real411.org.za/elections.
Enforcement
The Disinformation Code is effective immediately from the date of publication, being 4 September 2026 until the declaration of the election results. Political parties and candidates will undertake to comply with the Disinformation Code as part of their public commitment during the electoral code of conduct signing ceremony on 23 September 2026.
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