News24’s Debunking Desk has been monitoring false claims about the elections and political parties. Here are some key fact checks for disinformation about the election that have spread online.
FOLLOW IT LIVE | Elections: No, load shedding will not immediately continue once elections are over
IEC says the video of the man stuffing the ballot box was part of home visits for special votes
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has responded to a video circulating on social media in which users accuse officials of election rigging.
In the video, a person can be seen stuffing envelopes from a bag into the ballot box at a voting station.
However, the IEC clarified in a post on X that the ballot box was being filled with special votes from home visits on that day, so it could be counted on election day from 21:00 along with the other ballots cast.
“Party agents may observe and record the proceedings to ensure transparency, which explains the origin of this video,” the commission said in a post.
Special votes took place on Monday and Tuesday this week, 27 and 28 May.
According to the IEC, a total of 1 668 076 South Africans were approved for special votes. Of these, 624 593 were visited by election officers in their homes and places of confinement to cast their votes.
– Na’ilah Ebrahim
#Dontstealmyvote targeting DA found to have no evidence
Several posts on X have accused the DA of election tampering, using the hashtag “dontstealmyvote”.
The hashtag was posted last night and has since gained traction on social media. The campaign seems to be spread by social media influencers who all jumped on the hashtag at the same time.
One user on X accused the party of being caught tampering with ballot papers from the IEC.
READ | Should I share this on WhatsApp or TikTok? Consider these red flags first
The post includes a video of a table covered with DA cloth and a yellow box containing what appears to be ballot papers.
Another user accused the party of storing ballot papers in their cars based on what is claimed to be ballots being visible in a boot next to a DA T-shirt.
There are no evidence to support the claims of election fraud.
– Na’ilah Ebrahim
Claim that DA and ANC have “privatised” SA is old and false
A post on X from 29 May by a staunch MKP supporter falsely claimed that South Africa had been “privatised” by political parties like the ANC and DA.
The post has gained more than 40 000 views on the platform. This piece of disinformation is accompanied by a video which makes more false claims that SA is registered as a “corporation” by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The video shows that SA’s CEO is Johan Rupert, and the list continues with more fabricated roles given to recognisable names. AFP has previously addressed the myth that SA is registered as a company by the SEC, which has been spread over social media in recent years.
READ | ‘People who spread election disinformation should know better’
In reality, the country is registered as “a foreign government that raises funds from US investors, not as a company. It is one of many countries listed”, AFP reported.
“South Africa makes filings with the SEC because it issues securities in the US,” the agency said.
“The SEC regulates all securities issuances to US investors,” the National Treasury told AFP, and “as such, SA must comply with certain regulations in order to issue securities to US investors.”
– Joel Ontong
You are not required to wear a mask to vote
Some sections on the IEC’s website have not been updated since the municipal elections in 2021, so it still states that a mask is required to access a voting station.
This is, however, no longer relevant. You are not required to wear a mask, but if you want to, you can.
– Hanlie Gouws
No, the MK party did not get 68% of the votes cast abroad
A video of an eNCA segment from 9 May about pre-election poll data has been circulating and used to falsely claim that the MK Party have gotten 68% of overseas votes.
The video shows an eNCA graph showing data about 2 024 voters switching their vote. Different users on different platforms have used this screenshot, claiming that it’s overseas voting data.
eNCA indicated in their polling data that 68% of MK supporters had switched their vote to the party.
Election results will only be announced on 2 June.
– Joel Ontong
Ballots were not affected in video showing discarded election materials, says IEC
A video of discarded election materials circulating on social media has raised concerns about vote tampering at the Mookgophong-Modimolle municipality in Limpopo (other social media users claimed the video was filmed in Benoni, Gauteng).
The IEC has addressed the video, saying that the clip does not show ballots being affected.
In the video, a person shows discarded materials outside a voting station, falsely claiming that votes have been stolen.
On X, the IEC responded to the video: “Thanks for alerting us. These are discarded election materials, but no evidence of ballots.”
Masego Sheburi, Deputy CEO of electoral operations at the IEC, addressed the video during a media briefing, saying that no cast ballots had been put at risk.
On the first day of special voting, “the presiding officer had assembled three ballot boxes, meaning a ballot box for each ballot type”, he said.
“That goes against the training, because we only use a single ballot box. So, when the presiding officer was alerted to that instance, they proceeded to remove the two other assembled boxes from the station and left them laying out in the open.
“Videos were made of that incident. The incidents ought not to have happened. However, we can assure you that no cast ballots were placed at risk in that instance.”
Thanks for alerting us. These are discarded election materials, but no evidence of ballots. Please DM us with precise location if you have it.
— IEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) May 29, 2024
– Joel Ontong
ID only accepted at voting stations
Voters can only cast their votes using their IDs, including valid Smart IDs, green ID booklets, or temporary ID certificates (TIDs), on election day.
In a video on Tiktok, user @faithchirwa03 claimed that ANC supporters would be able to vote using their valid driver’s licence and would be able to skip the queue using this form of idenfication.
However, drivers licences and passports will not be accepted by the IEC.
Members will also not be allowed to skip the queue at voting stations using any form of identification.
People who have lost their IDs have been encouraged to apply for temporary IDs from Home Affairs, whose offices will be open on election day.
– Na’ilah Ebrahim
No, load shedding will not immediately continue once elections are over
Despite numerous claims from social media users, there is no proof that load shedding will resume once elections are over.
News24 reported on Tuesday that Eskom has confirmed that load shedding will remain suspended until further notice.On Wednesday, advocate Dali Mpofu claimed in an X post that load shedding will return after the elections.
Several other people claimed that Eskom would give an update on load shedding schedules on Friday, two days after the elections, while others were asking for the updated schedule for Thursday, as they “could not find it”.Load shedding has remained suspended for more than 60 days.
Verdict: Fake news
– Na’ilah Ebrahim
Know your ballot
Many images and videos are doing the rounds on social media, claiming to show election fraud involving the marking and storing of ballots. On many of these, it is clear the ballots are not for the 2024 South African elections.
This is what our ballots look like.
No, “mystery” ballot papers have not been “discovered” pre-filled with votes for SA’s ruling ANC – Africa Check
Many social media posts shared days before the election, particularly from supporters of the recently formed uMkhonto weSizwe or MK Party, claim to show ballot papers that have already been filled out.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa, or IEC, has rubbished the claims and said that it is considering taking action against the MK Party and its members, who it says entered an IEC warehouse without authorisation.
Versions of this claim have been shared with images and videos on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter).
Read more on Africa Check.
No evidence that undocumented persons were involved in the voting process – real411
real411 found no evidence to support the claim of undocumented persons from Mozambique being involved in South African voting processes.
The video shows police presence but does not substantiate the claim made in the post.
Without an official statement from the SAPS, who were present at the scene, the information that the people are Mozambican nationals coming to vote in South Africa remains false and misleading.
No, person dressed in South Africa’s ruling party colours does not also work for electoral commission – Africa Check
Two photos of the same man have been doing the rounds on social media: one showing him in the colours of South Africa’s ruling party, the other in the colours of the IEC. Users have dubbed him “the player and the referee” ahead of the country’s elections. However, he and the IEC have denied claims that he works for the commission.
Read more on Africa Check.
Too many ballots?
An MKP supporter tweeted that printing 90 million ballots for 27 672 264 registered voters is suspicious.
Dr Sithembile Mbete from the University of Pretoria did a quick debunk by doing simple maths: “The 90 million ballots makes sense. 27 672 264 registered voters & 3 different ballots is 83 016 792 in total. It’s standard election management practice to print extra ballots.”
If you see dodgy information about the elections on social media or in your neighbourhood group that you are not sure about, let us know on the News24 WhatsApp line on +27 72 562 3179, and report it to real411.org.
Recent Comments