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IEC warns parties against spreading unproven election fraud claims

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Ongoing: Elections Hot

Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the Real411 platform registered 34 complaints, including misinformation, incitement to violence, hate speech and harassment. He also reported intimidation, disruption and tampering, and said police arrested a candidate in Mpumalanga and an alleged impersonator in the Eastern Cape.

Mamabolo spoke at an IEC media briefing on the local government elections. He said some parties made fraud claims without proof. Supporters then posted videos of presiding officers moving special vote ballots, shared without context.

Of the Real411 complaints, 58.8% involved X and 23.5% involved TikTok. Facebook and WhatsApp together made up 8.8%.

Mamabolo alleged that a candidate in ward 30 in the Phake Rankahile voting district stormed a voting station and damaged election materials. He also alleged that MK Party supporters stormed the IEC satellite warehouse at Dassenhoek Library and held election officials hostage. Two people allegedly tried to reach election materials by posing as IEC officials.

The IEC recorded about 970,000 station-based special votes and 421,000 home visits for special votes. Special voting continues until 5 November. Mamabolo said the commission is taking legal steps to hold the people and parties involved to account.

Key facts

Who
Sy Mamabolo (Chief electoral officer, Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)); Electoral Commission of South Africa (Electoral authority running the local government elections); MK Party (Political party whose supporters allegedly stormed election material storage…); Incoboyethu Civic Organisation (Organisation two alleged impersonators were potentially identified as members of)
What
At an IEC media briefing, chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo warned parties and supporters against spreading unsubstantiated fraud claims ahead of the local government elections. He said Real411 had registered 34 complaints, cited incidents of intimidation, disruption and tampering, and said special voting would continue until November 5.
When
3 November 2026
Where
South Africa, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal
Status
Reported

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