Social media drives South Africa’s voter engagement

South Africa, 15 July 2025 – Social media delivered unprecedented reach during the 2024 general elections, Electoral Commission of South Africa CEO Sy Mamabolo confirmed to Parliament’s Home Affairs Committee. The IEC’s messaging campaign, which leveraged both organic and paid ads across platforms like Facebook, amassed over 203 million impressions and was further supported by SMS blasts, “Please Call Me” alerts, and live chat on the IEC website to assist voters in real time.

The commission also entered into strategic cooperation with global tech firms, including Meta, Google, and TikTok, as well as Media Monitoring Africa, to monitor and counter disinformation. These partnerships helped manage the surge in falsehoods circulating online and reinforced the integrity of the electoral process.

Mamabolo noted that the campaign overcame unprecedented challenges, including organized disinformation efforts on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), notably amplified by public figures such as Duduzile Zuma‑Sambudla. Despite this, the strategy maintained trust, transparency, and proximity with voters through multifaceted digital outreach