The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has raised concerns over disinformation being shared on social media.
This comes after its alleged involvement in the recent 55th
ANC elective conference .
In what appears to be a WhatsApp conversation, screengrabs
of an instruction issued to Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo to ensure the
outcome of the elective conference for a sum of money have been tweeted in the
last few hours.
Spokesperson, Kate Bapela said the IEC does not manage the
elections of any political parties.
‘’This content is clearly manufactured and has no basis in
reality. As a Chapter 9 institution, mandated to support and defend South
Africa’s constitutional democracy, such a practice would be incongruent with
its mandate to ensure free, fair and credible elections at all levels of
government.’’
In recent months, added Bapela, a person with a cellphone
number ending in the digits 9791 has been impersonating CEO Sy Mamabolo.
‘’The Electoral
Commission views such malicious content in a serious light, and is taking
action criminally and with the relevant social media owners,’’ she added.
Bapela pleaded with South Africans to be vigilant and not
to automatically trust communication from its leadership.
‘’… Please report any suspicious communication from the
Electoral Commission’s leadership to info@elections.org.za and the South
African Police Service so that it can track the fraudsters.’’
‘’The Electoral Commission is prioritising collaborating
with the investigative arms of the state to counter such incidents of
disinformation, as ultimately they undermine our democracy,’’ added IEC
National Spokesperson, Kate Bapela
She said the IEC anticipates an increase in such incidents
in the approach to the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.
PICTURE: IECDone By: Mitchum George
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