As South Africa prepares for its sixth local government elections set for 4 November 2026, TikTok is sharing information about its preparation ahead of the elections, including efforts to combat misinformation, and ensure that users have access to information from reliable sources. This work forms part of TikTok’s ongoing, year-round commitment to protecting the integrity of the platform and ensuring a safe, authentic, and creative experience for the South African community.
TikTok’s dedicated elections taskforce is already leading this work. The taskforce is made up of experts in platform integrity, cybersecurity, deceptive behaviour, misinformation, and election integrity. These teams work alongside advanced moderation technologies and local language moderators to enforce TikTok’s Community Guidelines and protect users across the platform.
In partnership with the Electoral Commission (IEC), TikTok has launched an in-app Election Centre available in local South Africa languages including English where people can find reliable information about voting, key dates and other useful information about the elections, as well as tips about how to recognise misinformation, which represents a pivotal step towards safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process.
To further strengthen its mission, the Election Centre also connects users to a new AI media literacy hub, providing the South African community with guidance on how to identify AI-generated content, use AI responsibly when creating content, and understand how TikTok supports safe and transparent AI experiences on the platform.
Commenting on the partnership, Tholoana Ncheke-Mahlaela Government Relations and Public Policy, Lead for Southern Africa at TikTok said: “At TikTok, we recognise the important role our platform plays in helping people discover information and engage in public conversations.
“Through our in-app Election Centre, South Africans will be able to access reliable information about the elections, and to further support this we have introduced election-related labels and search banners that direct users to the centre with a single tap. This reflects our continued commitment to supporting a safe, informed, and authentic election experience for our community.”
Sy Mamabolo, Chief Electoral Officer, Electoral Commission of South Africa adds, “The Electoral Commission welcomes this partnership with TikTok as part of our ongoing efforts to ensure that voters have access to accurate, timely, and credible election information.
“As more South Africans engage with information through digital platforms, it is essential that trusted resources are easily accessible and that misinformation is actively addressed.
“The Election Centre on TikTok will help connect voters with official information about the electoral process, supporting informed participation and strengthening public confidence in the integrity of the elections.”
Combating Harmful Misinformation
TikTok welcomes informed civic conversations, but strictly prohibits content that could mislead voters or cause significant real-world harm, regardless of intent. This includes misinformation that discourages voting, interferes with electoral processes, or encourages the unlawful disruption of election results.
To enforce these policies, TikTok combines advanced moderation technologies with thousands of safety professionals working globally to identify and remove violative content and accounts. Where content cannot be verified, TikTok may apply labels, limit its eligibility for recommendation, or prompt users to reconsider before sharing it.
In the first quarter of 2026, TikTok removed over 1,100,000 million videos in South Africa for violating its Community Guidelines, 99.6% of these videos were proactively removed before anyone reported them, while 94. 9% were taken down within 24 hours of posting. These figures underscore TikTok’s continued investment in advanced detection systems and rapid response mechanisms designed to limit the spread of harmful content.
Additionally, between January and March 2026, TikTok removed approximately 90,000 videos for violating policies on civic and election integrity, misinformation, and harmfully misleading AI-generated content in South Africa. More than 99% of that content was removed before it was reported.
TikTok also works with more than 20 fact-checking organisations worldwide to assess the accuracy of content and support effective policy enforcement. In South Africa, this includes a collaboration with Code for Africa.
Prohibiting Political Advertising
TikTok prohibits paid political advertising and accounts belonging to politicians or political parties which are not able to advertise or make money on TikTok.
While election-related advertising from candidates, political parties, and other advertisers remains prohibited, TikTok does permit official election management bodies to run ads containing essential voter information, such as voter registration guidance, polling information, and participation details.
Ongoing Commitment to Election Integrity
TikTok continues to invest in protecting the integrity of its platform, particularly during major civic events such as elections. In South Africa, the company will continue strengthening its efforts to address emerging threats while making reliable election information easily accessible to users engaging with election-related content.
