New rules to stop politicians from spreading lies in South Africa

• New rules to stop politicians from spreading lies in South Africa have been introduced by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) with stricter rules for spreading and responding to disinformation.
• The Electoral Code of Conduct Countering Disinformation in the Local Government Elections (disinformation code) will require political parties to verify the accuracy of information they share, and parties and candidates to publicly retract and correct any false or misleading information within 36 hours.
• Violations of the disinformation code can be reported on the site Real411, which is available to all South Africans, and the IEC will assess each case and ensure that appropriate measures are taken.