JOHANNESBURG, Monday 31 August 2026 — The Democratic Alliance has lodged a complaint with the Electoral Commission of South Africa over an AI-generated video depicting former Ekurhuleni mayor Tania Campbell and DA mayoral candidate Khathutshelo Rasilingwane discussing purported corrupt arrangements involving businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, escalating concerns over manipulated political content ahead of the 4 November local government elections.
The approximately minute-long video presents synthetic versions of Campbell and Rasilingwane in what appears to be a mayoral office.
In the fabricated conversation, the characters discuss providing Matlala with blue lights for vehicles and awarding emergency medical services tenders in return for protection.
There is no evidence that the depicted conversation took place.
The DA says the video is fabricated using artificial intelligence and falsely attributes corrupt conduct to its representatives.
The video was previously published on social media by the ANC in Ekurhuleni and was subsequently shared by ANC Tshwane figure Kgoši Maepa, according to reports.
DA representative on the IEC’s Party Liaison Committee Mike Moriarty said the party had exercised its rights by formally referring the matter to the commission.
“We’re obviously being made out to be people that are corrupt, which is not the truth,” Moriarty told eNCA.
He said the video attempted to connect DA representatives to corruption allegations currently receiving attention through the Madlanga Commission.
The ANC’s Ekurhuleni organisation previously presented the video as parody.
When the material first circulated in August, the DA said it regarded the content as a false fabrication rather than legitimate political satire and announced that it intended approaching the IEC.
The formal complaint means the dispute has now moved beyond an exchange between political parties and into the election-regulation process.
No finding has been made by the IEC that the ANC, Maepa or any other person breached the Electoral Code of Conduct.
The complaint is therefore an allegation that must still be considered by the commission.
The video’s references to Matlala give the dispute additional political sensitivity in Ekurhuleni.
Matlala has featured extensively in evidence before the Madlanga Commission concerning alleged criminal infiltration of policing institutions.
During his testimony, Matlala confirmed that his company CAT VIP Protection had provided security services to Campbell while she was Ekurhuleni mayor, but said this was done without financial gain.
He also said he had not received an EMPD contract and invoked his right against self-incrimination when questioned about aspects of his relationship with the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department because of pending investigations.
Those statements do not establish the arrangements depicted in the AI-generated video.
Campbell previously said allegations of wrongdoing brought to her attention during her tenure were referred for investigation and has called for allegations concerning the EMPD to be investigated.
The IEC complaint is particularly significant because Rasilingwane is the DA’s candidate for mayor of Ekurhuleni in November.
The metro is expected to be one of South Africa’s most competitive municipal contests after no party secured an outright majority in 2021 and its government changed repeatedly during the current council term.
The ANC, DA, EFF and smaller parties have all played roles in shifting governing arrangements in the city.
Election-related material targeting a mayoral candidate in such a closely contested metro therefore carries potentially greater consequences than ordinary political commentary.
The dispute also comes as the IEC attempts to address the growing use of artificial intelligence and synthetic media in election campaigning.
In draft digital-campaigning rules published in June, the commission proposed that AI-generated election material should be clearly labelled and discouraged the use of deepfakes, fake accounts and deceptive manipulation of political discourse.
The proposed framework also calls on parties and candidates to verify information before distribution and correct false or misleading information they have disseminated.
Existing electoral legislation separately prohibits knowingly publishing certain false information intended to influence an election.
The Ekurhuleni complaint is not the first dispute over allegedly AI-manipulated material during the current municipal campaign.
ActionSA lodged a separate complaint with the IEC on 26 August against Maepa over material targeting Nasiphi Moya.
ActionSA accused Maepa of circulating AI-generated WhatsApp conversations purporting to show communications between Moya and a contractor concerning renovations to her private home.
Moya denied the underlying allegations and said the work was privately commissioned and paid for.
Maepa rejected ActionSA’s accusations, saying the party was attempting to silence him rather than provide documentation he had requested.
ActionSA subsequently opened a criminal case against Maepa, according to The Citizen.
The two disputes are politically notable because they concern two of Gauteng’s three metropolitan municipalities.
In Tshwane, Moya is the sitting mayor and central to ActionSA’s campaign.
In Ekurhuleni, Rasilingwane is challenging for the mayoralty.
Both metros are likely to produce highly competitive elections in which relatively small movements in support could alter the coalition combinations available after voting.
The complaints therefore provide an early test of how South Africa’s electoral authorities will deal with synthetic political material during a campaign in which generative AI is substantially more accessible than it was during the country’s previous municipal election in 2021.
The IEC has not yet publicly ruled on the DA’s Ekurhuleni complaint.
Its eventual response could consequently have significance beyond the individuals depicted in the video, particularly if it establishes clearer boundaries between labelled political parody and synthetic content capable of misleading voters.
With campaigning intensifying ahead of 4 November, the Ekurhuleni dispute places AI-generated political content alongside candidate selection, coalition strategy and service delivery as an emerging issue the IEC will have to manage during the remainder of the municipal election campaign.
