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IEC warns against unproven election fraud claims

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

Empty hall with plain voting booths and a wooden table, set up for an election.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said at a briefing in Midrand that fraud claims fuel misinformation, mostly on social media. It reported intimidation, disruptions and attempts to tamper with election materials on election day, and received 34 complaints through Real411.

Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the commission is taking legal steps to hold the identified people and political parties accountable. Deputy chief electoral officer Masego Sheburi said videos of special vote ballots being moved show standard procedure. He said the envelopes were already reconciled and voter details were removed.

The IEC said a candidate in Mpumalanga was arrested after allegedly storming a voting station and damaging materials. It also said MK Party supporters allegedly stormed a storage facility in KwaZulu-Natal and held officials hostage.

The 34 complaints on the Real411 platform covered misinformation, disinformation, incitement to violence, hate speech and harassment. Of these, 58.8% involved X and 23.5% involved TikTok.

Key facts

Who
Sy Mamabolo (Chief electoral officer, IEC); Masego Sheburi (Deputy chief electoral officer, IEC); Electoral Commission of South Africa (Election management body that gave the briefing); MK Party (Party whose supporters allegedly stormed a storage facility in KwaZulu-Natal)
What
At a briefing at the Results Operations Centre in Midrand, the IEC said election-fraud claims were fuelling misinformation, that videos of special vote ballots being moved were standard procedure, and that it had received 34 complaints via the Real411 platform. It also reported an arrest in Mpumalanga and an incident in KwaZulu-Natal involving MK Party supporters.
When
3 November 2026
Where
Midrand, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal
Status
Reported

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