By: The Youth Voice Reporter
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has raised alarm over the growing threat of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential use in hyper-local disinformation campaigns ahead of South Africa’s 2026 Local Government Elections.
IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya warned that the upcoming municipal polls could see a shift from broad national misinformation to ward-specific deception driven by generative AI tools.
“The primary challenge of 2026 is the rise of Generative AI and its application in ‘hyper-local’ contexts. We are seeing a shift from broad national untruths to ward-specific deceptions,” Moepya said.
He was speaking at the Disinformation Dialogue 2026: Countering Disinformation, Safeguarding Local Democracy, held in Cape Town.
Moepya said the Commission expects a “flurry of deepfakes” during the 2026 municipal elections, echoing concerns previously identified by the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF).
According to the IEC, processes most vulnerable to manipulation include:
- The voters’ roll
- Transportation of ballot boxes
- Manual tallying of votes at voting stations
“These points involve human elements that can easily be misrepresented,” Moepya explained.
In response, the IEC is rolling out a 2026 strategy aimed at countering digital disinformation through direct citizen engagement and technological safeguards.
Key interventions include:
- Zero-rated digital portals allowing voters to verify ward boundaries and registration status.
- Rapid-Response Pathways, linking community radio stations and youth networks directly to fact-checking hubs.
- A “News Sausage” transparency approach encouraging media houses to show how election results are audited and verified to reduce conspiracy theories.
The dialogue was hosted by the Institute for Security Studies in collaboration with the European Union delegation and several European embassies.
The Commission will also rely on legal mechanisms such as the Cybercrimes Act and the Electoral Code of Conduct to hold individuals accountable for intentionally spreading harmful digital disinformation.
Moepya described technology as a “double-edged sword”:
“It can be the tool that disenfranchises a grandmother in a rural village through a viral lie, or it can be the tool that empowers a first-time voter in a bustling township to verify their ballot.”
He added that the integrity of the 2026 elections will depend not only on the IEC, but also on lawmakers, fact-checkers, technology developers and international partners.
To further strengthen trust, the IEC has subjected its Voter Management Devices (VMDs) and results systems to independent end-to-end testing across all 23 292 voting stations to ensure transparency and prevent “black box” concerns.
As South Africa heads toward the 2026 Local Government Elections, the battle against digital disinformation is shaping up to be as critical as the ballot itself.