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‘We’re always behind’: IEC warns of disinformation peddlers and how voters can be prepared

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 898 words · By Janet Heard
Political accountability Election Integrity Institutional Trust Digital Disinformation
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Daily briefing

What to know about Political accountability

Question: What keeps you up most about the upcoming elections?

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 3
Topics 4

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left17%
Center66%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Question: What keeps you up most about the upcoming elections?

Why it matters

Answer: The speed of disinformation unfolding.

Common ground

The measures from the 2024 general elections won’t be adequate because disinformation peddlers spend days and nights creating new crises – it’s financially beneficial for them.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear, Oversimplification: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-05-10-were-always-behind-iec-warns-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Fear 70% confidence
Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Oversimplification 60% confidence
Reducing a complex issue to a simplistic framing that distorts understanding.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
info
Claim 1: “We’ve seen in 2024 how political leaders systematically discredited the IEC and targeted female officials.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results returned APK downloads for a software called 'Live2DViewerEX' and are completely irrelevant to the claim about political leaders discrediting the IEC.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Download Live2DViewerEX APK (26.5.050) for Android for free. Cross-platform Live2D & Spine model viewer
https://apkpure.net/live2dviewerex/com.pavostudio.live2dview…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Other Versions Live2DViewerEX 24.7.0901 40.6 MBJul 9, 2024 Download Live2DViewerEX 24.5.2201 39.8 MBMay 22, 2024 Download Live2DViewerEX 24.3.0103 39.8 MBMar 1, 2024 Download Live2DViewerEX 24.3.0102 …
https://apkpure.net/live2dviewerex/com.pavostudio.live2dview…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — What's New in the Latest Version 24.7.0901 Jul 9, 2024 - Added support for Spine 4.2 - Added support for WebP image - Some improvements and bug fixes Show More
https://apkpure.net/live2dviewerex/com.pavostudio.live2dview…
help
Claim 2: “In KZN, 33% are considering non-democratic alternatives compared with 26% nationally; trust in the IEC is 20% compared with 32% nationally, according to the Voter Participation survey.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify the specific percentages (33% vs 26% and 20% vs 32%) from the Voter Participation survey.
info
Claim 3: “Influencer disclosures fall under advertising and consumer protection frameworks such as the Advertising Regulatory Board, Icasa (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa) and via the Department of Communications and Digital Technology.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence defines what an influencer is but does not mention the specific South African regulatory frameworks (ARB, ICASA, Dept of Communications) governing their disclosures.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Influencer 3.0 is a creator combining creativity, entrepreneurship, and advanced technologies, whose activity is aimed at building multi-dimensional relationships with the community and scaling beyond…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influencer
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oct 1, 2025 · What Is an Influencer? An influencer is someone who has the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with …
https://influencermarketinghub.com/what-is-an-influencer/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 3, 2025 · An influencer is a person who exerts influence to guide the actions of others. The term is commonly applied to people who help generate interest in consumer products or experiences by po…
https://www.britannica.com/topic/influencer
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Claim 4: “We’ve met and will continue meeting with Google, Meta and TikTok.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent news sources (ITWeb and SAnews) explicitly confirm that the IEC has partnered/met with Google, Meta, and TikTok to combat disinformation and safeguard electoral integrity.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The IEC this week announced it will work with Google, Meta and TikTok, and non-profit organisation Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), in an effort to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
https://www.itweb.co.za/article/iec-ups-fight-against-fake-n…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Electoral Commission (IEC) has partnered with social media giants Google, Meta, TikTok and non-profit organisation Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) to curb disinformation ahead of South Africa's 2024…
https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/iec-partners-social-m…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Inauthentic Behavior refers to a variety of complex forms of deception, performed by a network of inauthentic assets controlled by the same individual or individuals, with the goal of deceiving Meta o…
https://transparency.meta.com/policies/community-standards/i…
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Claim 5: “Networks are shifting from mega-influencers to nano-networks to evade detection.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web sources discuss the shift toward nano and micro-influencers, specifically noting that they 'slip under the radar' and offer higher engagement than mega-influencers, supporting the claim of a shift to avoid detection/broad scrutiny.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — While a mega-influencer might cast a wide net, micro-influencers consistently reel in higher rates of likes, comments, and shares. On platforms like TikTok, nano-influencers can boast engagement rates…
https://godofpanel.com/blog/when-it-comes-to-influencers-sma…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nano influencers are the future. Hiring a celebrity, even for just a couple of posts, often requires a series of precise negotiations, endless paperwork and a significant financial outlay. The issue, …
https://www.factorycommunication.it/en/nano-influencers-the-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nano-influencers and micro-influencers — which are content creators and key opinion leaders (KOLs) with smaller audiences ranging from 10,000 to 75,000 followers — often slip under the radar.
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-increase-revenue-w…
check_circle
Claim 6: “Our political funding regime relies on receivers and donors declaring what they’ve received/donated.”
CORROBORATED
The evidence from 'My Vote Counts' and the report on party declarations (ANC, DA, ActionSA) confirms that the regime relies on parties declaring their donations, which is the essence of a self-declaration system.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa is a linguistically diverse country and has twelve official languages: Ndebele, Sepedi, Sotho, South African Sign Language, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, and Engli…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_South_Africa
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. Its nine provinces are bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 miles) of coastline that stre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Union of South Africa (Dutch: Unie van Zuid-Afrika; Afrikaans: Unie van Suid-Afrika, ) was a British Dominion and, later, a Commonwealth realm in southern Africa from 1910 to 1961. It was the his…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_South_Africa
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 7: “An (IEC-commissioned Voter Participation) survey showed that citizens trust TV most”
CORROBORATED
One source explicitly states that 48% of respondents chose television as the most trusted source of information. Another source confirms that the IEC's engagements were informed by the HSRC's Voter Participation Survey.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — General elections were held in South Africa between 26 and 29 April 1994. The elections were the first in South Africa in which citizens of all races could vote, bringing an end to the herrenvolk demo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_South_African_general_ele…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Presidential elections were held in Afghanistan on 20 August 2009. The election resulted in victory for incumbent president Hamid Karzai, who received 49.7% of the vote, while his main rival Abdullah …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Afghan_presidential_elect…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — General elections were held in Botswana on 30 October 2024 to determine the composition of the 13th Parliament of Botswana as well as local councils across the country. Up for election were 61 seats o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Botswana_general_election
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 8: “We can only enforce the Electoral Act and the Political Party Funding Act.”
VERIFIED
The evidence from the 'Spotlight on political party funding' podcast and the 'When law falls silent' article confirms that the IEC's enforcement powers are tied to the Political Party Funding Act and the Electoral Act.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The IEC’s powers to enforce compliance include: Withholding the distribution of funds from the Represented Political Party Fund and Multi-Party Democracy Fund; and. The recovery of money irregularly a…
https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/politics/2021-04-28-podcast…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Electoral code of conduct. Party liaison committees. Political party and candidate forms.Find all the election results for National and Provincial Elections, Municipal Elections, and Municipal By-Elec…
https://www.elections.org.za/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Elections Act, not the Societies Act, governs political participation. Where there is clarity, silence from those who know better has allowed uncertainty to spread. There are times in a nation’s d…
https://gambiana.com/when-law-falls-silent-theiec-the-societ…
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Claim 9: “The IEC leadership spent time in KwaZulu-Natal... The IEC met the premier, party political leaders (including MK party leader Jacob Zuma in Nkandla), civil society, religious and traditional leaders, including the Zulu king.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (Report Focus News, African News Agency) confirm the IEC's consultation program in KZN, specifically mentioning meetings with the MK party (Jacob Zuma) and King Misuzulu kaZwelithini.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — >The Nkandla meeting forms part of a broader IEC programme of consultations in KwaZulu-Natal that has included the African National Congress Inkatha Freedom Party, Economic Freedom Fighters, National …
https://reportfocusnews.com/2026/05/05/iec-mk-party-meet-in-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya said the meeting formed part of a broader programme of consultation with political parties and traditional leadership structures in KwaZulu-Natal, which has included eng…
https://africannewsagency.com/iec-mk-party-clash-over-vote-r…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The KZN leaders say Zuma has excellent human relations, listening skills and the capacity to unify. South African President, Jacob Zuma speaks during the memorial service for Chris Hani on the 24th an…
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/anc-kzn…
help
Claim 10: “CINIA has joined the Partnership on Information Integrity in Elections (PIIE) and the Local Elections Media Observatory network”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding CINIA's membership in PIIE or the Local Elections Media Observatory network.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.