Political parties and independent candidates in KwaZulu-Natal have committed to promoting peaceful campaigning, respecting electoral laws and tackling disinformation ahead of the November 4 Local Government Elections(LGE).
The commitment was highlighted at the provincial Electoral Code of Conduct signing ceremony held at the Olive Convention Centre in Durban, where provincial political representatives were invited to sign the code and reaffirm their responsibilities in ensuring free and fair elections.
Delivering the keynote address, Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) Commissioner VG Mashinini reminded those present that the Constitution underpins the country’s democracy and gives the commission its mandate to conduct free and fair elections.
“We should never lose sight of our Constitution. It is the same Constitution that gave birth to the Electoral Commission and calls on the Commission to conduct free and fair elections,” he said.
Mashinini stressed that the Electoral Code of Conduct is law, placing an obligation on political parties, independent candidates and other electoral participants to comply with its provisions.
A key focus ahead of the elections is the new Electoral Code of Conduct on Countering Disinformation in Local Government Elections, published in the Government Gazette on September 4.
The code applies to election-related communications and campaign activities, both online and offline, including paid and unpaid content distributed by political parties and candidates or on their behalf.
Under the code, parties and candidates must verify information before sharing it and refrain from deliberately spreading false or misleading information that could influence the conduct or outcome of an election.
They are also required to publicly retract and correct disinformation within 36 hours of becoming aware of it and take reasonable steps to ensure their office-bearers, members, representatives and supporters understand and comply with the rules.
The code specifically addresses the use of fake social media accounts, automated bots and deceptive artificial intelligence-generated content intended to mislead voters. Political advertisements must clearly identify the party or candidate responsible, while AI-generated material must be appropriately labelled as synthetic content.
Cyberbullying and the unauthorised exposure of people’s private information are also covered by the code.
Political parties and candidates must report suspected online disinformation to Real411, the online complaints mechanism designated by the IEC, within 36 hours of becoming aware of it. They are also expected to cooperate with the commission in efforts to protect electoral integrity and correct false information circulated about the IEC, its commissioners and staff.
Failure to comply with the code may result in sanctions under the applicable electoral legislation.
However, the code does not prohibit legitimate political criticism, opinion, satire, fair reporting or democratic debate protected by law. Its focus is on disinformation and deceptive conduct that threatens the integrity of the electoral process.
With campaigning expected to intensify in the weeks leading up to November 4, the signing ceremony reinforces the responsibility of political parties and candidates to ensure their campaigns are conducted peacefully and that voters have access to accurate information when making their electoral choices.
