JOHANNESBURG, Friday 30 October 2026 — The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has reported an artificial intelligence-generated video depicting former President Nelson Mandela delivering a political message to an election disinformation monitoring platform.
The commission confirmed that it referred the material to Real411 ahead of the 4 November municipal elections.
Fabricated video circulates online
The video depicts Mandela urging voters not to support the African National Congress (ANC).
The footage is not an authentic recording of Mandela delivering that message.
The IEC’s intervention follows concerns that AI-generated videos may mislead voters by presenting fabricated statements as genuine political communication.
The commission said it recognised the importance of satire, parody and political criticism but distinguished those forms of expression from misleading content that could undermine informed voting.
Complaint submitted through Real411
Real411 is used to receive and assess reports of suspected election-related disinformation.
The IEC confirmed that the Mandela video had been reported through the platform.
The commission’s Disinformation Code, implemented in September 2026, establishes expectations concerning transparency and the correction of misleading election content.
Political parties and candidates are expected to take reasonable steps to address disinformation appearing on platforms associated with them.
Voters urged to verify material
The IEC said its role was to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process rather than determine voters’ political opinions.
The development highlights the difficulty of distinguishing authentic recordings from manipulated material as election campaigning intensifies.
The outcome of the Real411 complaint and any further enforcement action remain to be established.
