IEC warns parties: dox a journalist and the Electoral Court can deregister you

Political parties and independent candidates contesting the 4 November 2026 local government elections have signed the Electoral Code of Conduct and the supporting Code on Countering Disinformation, 42 days before voters go to the polls.

The signing took place at the National Electoral Code of Conduct Signing and Ballot Paper Draw Ceremony in Midrand, Gauteng, on Wednesday. Electoral Commission chairperson Mosotho Moepya said the signature commits all 136 790 candidates to an equal opportunity to campaign and communicate without fear or unfair distortion.

“Violations of this Code distort the electoral playing field and undermine the fundamental principle of constitutional equality,” Moepya said. He said the leaders stepping forward were promising to confront public disillusionment and to campaign in a manner that “restores trust, builds institutional integrity, and demonstrates that the democratic process can be responsive, clean, and accountable”.

By signing, parties and independent candidates commit to three broad undertakings. They must condemn political violence, speaking out firmly against intimidation, sabotage and threats directed at political opponents, the public, the Electoral Commission and the media. They must run clean campaigns that respect the right of all citizens to express political beliefs free from coercion. And they must elevate political discourse, so that contestation is defined by debate on ideas, policies and service delivery rather than vitriol, deception and division.

Moepya used the occasion to set out what the code requires of contestants towards the press, which he described as a foundational pillar of free and fair elections. Article 8 of the Electoral Code of Conduct, he said, sets explicit duties for every registered party and candidate.

Parties must respect the role of the media before, during and after the elections. They may not prevent journalists from accessing public political meetings, marches, demonstrations and rallies. They must take all reasonable steps to ensure journalists are not harassed, intimidated, threatened or physically assaulted by their representatives or supporters.

“This means political leaders and candidates must actively refrain from, and robustly protect journalists against, any harassment or harm, whether physically on the ground covering election gatherings or digitally online,” Moepya said.

He singled out the publication of journalists’ private information. “No personal details or private information of a journalist, including their home addresses, personal contacts, or details of their loved ones, may be posted online. Doxxing is a severe violation of human rights and electoral decency that can lead to physical harm.”

Journalists must also not be singled out at political rallies in ways that could provoke hostile or harmful conduct, and must be assisted when requesting information and allowed to cover events in a safe environment, with measures taken to protect their physical safety and technical equipment.

The commission promulgated the Electoral Code of Conduct on Countering Disinformation in Local Government Elections on 4 September 2026. The disinformation code is legally linked to the broader Electoral Code of Conduct under section 88(a) of the Municipal Electoral Act.

It imposes three sets of obligations on every party, candidate and supporter. Contestants have a positive legal duty to verify the factual accuracy of any content they publish, share or distribute. Where false or misleading information is published inadvertently, they must issue a clear public retraction and correction within 36 hours of becoming aware of the error. Coordinated misinformation networks, shadow accounts, sock puppets and deceptive generative artificial intelligence are prohibited, and any use of AI to create campaign material or paid advertisements must be prominently, explicitly and clearly labelled.

Moepya warned that breaches of the disinformation code carry the same legal consequences as violations of the core code. “The Electoral Court has full jurisdiction and authority to adjudicate these complaints and issue severe penalties, including hefty fines, criminal prosecutions, and the outright deregistration of non-compliant political entities,” he said. The commission has partnered with the digital tracking platform Real411 for citizens, candidates and parties to report suspected digital breaches.

The commission’s account of the ceremony did not record whether any party or candidate declined to sign, and did not set out how the deregistration power would be applied in practice. The ballot paper draw, which fixes the order in which parties and candidates appear on the 4 November ballot, was held at the same event.

Source: SAnews (South African Government News Agency), Parties and independent candidates pledge to uphold electoral codes