Despite widespread concern leading up to voting day, there wasn’t as much false information powered by artificial intelligence as Africa Check expected. Why was this?

A video has been posted on social media with the claim it shows sealed and hidden ballot boxes full of uncounted votes from South Africa’s May 2024 elections. But according to the country’s electoral commission, the video shows resealed ballot boxes that have been stored at the commission’s warehouse.

South African citizens are anxious, excited, and uncertain about the outcome of the upcoming May 29 elections which mark thirty years of democracy. There is undisputable consensus among the citizens that this election will mark a critical turning point in South Africa's democratic and political history. However, the anxiety and uncertainty within the political and electoral landscape have become a breeding ground for propaganda and disinformation. Propaganda and disinformation are seen to be posing dangers to SA’s democratic process. Both polarise communities, mislead voters, and erode trust in public institutions, responsible for election administration. To confirm these dangers, a recent UNESCO study notes that: "In today's rapidly evolving digital environment, opportunities for communication between citizens, politicians, and political parties are unprecedented –– with information related to elections flowing faster and easier than ever, […]with billions of human beings connected, ‘propaganda’ and disinformation circulating unhinged around the networks, democratic processes and access to reliable information are at risk.”[1] This risk is what South Africa is experiencing in its 2024 elections. Considering this, there is a need to shield democracy in the republic by countering propaganda and disinformation. The article's purpose is to discuss recent trends of propaganda and disinformation in South Africa's 2024 elections. The paper will also suggest possible measures to mitigate their impact.

Did South Africa’s main opposition party get its facts right when it outlined how it would tackle several problem areas if it were voted into power?

South Africa’s ruling party made several commitments in its 2019 manifesto. How many were kept and how many made it back to the 2024 version?

In April 2021, a coordinated campaign targeting two South African banks surfaced on Twitter. While superficially taking aim at systemic racism in South Africa’s banking sector, beneath the #RacistBanksMustFall hashtag’s altruistic veneer were the vested interests of Sekunjalo Independent Media, owners of South Africa’s third largest news organization.

The Electoral Integrity Dialogue explores the significant role of electoral integrity in South Africa and the various measures to guarantee a fair, just, and transparent electoral process. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) plays a crucial role in ensuring electoral integrity and preventing any fraudulent activities, manipulations, coercion, or other irregularities that could potentially undermine the legitimacy of the election results. Izak Minnaar highlighted that the IEC is an independent body with the responsibility of ensuring that the electoral process is conducted in a transparent and impartial manner. This includes overseeing the voter registration process, the voting process, and the announcement of election results, among other things.

In a manifesto brimming with promises, Africa Check took a closer look at some of the more notable claims the opposition party made.

Twitter account linked to a member of South Africa’s third largest political party baited racial tensions to monetize traffic to his website

Africa Check’s editors in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa look back on a decade-long effort to improve voters’ decisions.

Ensuring election integrity is crucial for a thriving democracy. Let's discuss ways to strengthen our local electoral system.

The advent of the internet, and social media platforms in particular, has fundamentally changed how we engage with the world, including how we communicate, socialise, learn, work, and participate. While this has presented significant opportunities for the right to freedom of expression, it has also raised several pressing challenges regarding the dissemination of information online, more especially during an election period.

With much of the world adapting to a new normal, it is more important than ever that the public is aware of the dangers of false or misleading information on the coronavirus pandemic.

At Africa Check we’re no strangers to uncovering scams. We’ve written extensively about job scams, conference scams, and medical scams and even took a deep dive into a particularly bizarre scam involving a spiritual white boy, South African business exec Tokyo Sexwale, and a missing R41 quadrillion.

As nearly a dozen countries in the region prepare to hold presidential elections, the spread of disinformation is inflaming the continent's political landscape. Will facts prevail and calm the situation?

As nearly a dozen countries in the region prepare to hold presidential elections, the spread of disinformation is inflaming the continent's political landscape. Will facts prevail and calm the situation?

Despite the hype around artificial intelligence, the bigger threat in Africa remains “cheap fakes” and other low-effort forms of information deception.

The 2023 media freedom festival organized by Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) was dominated by how we can collectively fight against the proliferation of disinformation.

The purpose of this community-building event was to provide and promote truth, and accuracy in information dissemination to form a collaborative network, equip the community with tools, and knowledge to combat disinformation, and share best practices to enable participants to learn from the subject matter experts to maintain informed citizenry.

The stringent clampdown of local and global privacy laws and its effects on various local and global sectors on free distribution of data in the digital age of information.

Disinformation spreads rapidly and effortlessly, and the rise of disinformation has become an alarming global phenomenon. Misleading narratives, fake news, and conspiracy theories have the power to manipulate public opinion, polarize societies, and undermine democratic processes. To combat this growing threat, Phambano Technology Development Centre NPC, DFRLab, and TechSoup Global Network have come together to organize Countering Disinformation Masterclass webinar to empower individuals with the tools to recognize, debunk, and counter disinformation.

As the world grapples with the increasingly pressing need to address climate change and environmental issues, online disinformation campaigns have emerged as a powerful tool in the manipulation of public perspective, inspiring scepticism, and spreading false information.

The Hive Mind launch in South Africa was a success. We are thankful to all our speakers who gave incredible presentations and supported the need for Hive Mind to help civil society and build digital resilience.

South Africa a nation that suffered through discrimination and segregation, even after years of freedom, has become a place where foreign nationals feel unsafe and discriminated against. The continuous rise of xenophobic attacks in the country have resulted in the loss of lives, homes and businesses.

Fake news is used to manipulate and dictate and shape their decision-making. Fake news can damage our public discourse. We need to raise awareness and understanding of disinformation and be mindful that our freedom of expression could harm others. The time is now to verify all information.

When you need to make an unbiased, rational decision about something important, try to be aware of your cognitive biases. They are a normal phenomenon in psychology of all humans, but as they may affect your judgement or decisions, it is worth acknowledging their existence and learning some methods of how to overcome their misleading effects.

Information can come from various sources. Most often than not, you would pick up your smartphone or open your laptop and start scrolling through content; clicking on and sharing whatever looks interesting. However, it is good to know what is going on behind the scenes…