South Africa: Disregard Fake Poll Claiming South African Political Party ANC's Support Is At 43 Percent in City of Tshwane

What the report says

Africa Check, distributed by AllAfrica, says a social media graphic claiming South Africa’s African National Congress has 43% support in the City of Tshwane is false. The fact-check was published on 29 October 2026, ahead of South Africa’s local government elections scheduled for 4 November 2026. The misleading post reportedly circulated on X and Facebook and attributed the poll to an organisation called the Independent Political Researchers Group, which Africa Check said it could not verify as a legitimate research body.

The article says the claimed result is far above figures from established pre-election surveys. It cites polling from Ipsos, MarkData and the Social Research Foundation, which placed ANC support in Tshwane at 22%, 24.9% and 26% respectively. Africa Check said the gap between those figures and the 43% claim is a warning sign that the graphic was fabricated or manipulated.

The report also points to other red flags often seen in fake polls, including missing methodology, sample size and demographic details. In a broader caution to readers, it said election misinformation can be spread through edited images or invented survey results, making it important to rely on reputable polling organisations and media outlets that explain how their data was collected. The piece is part of ongoing scrutiny of online election-related misinformation in South Africa.