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War against misinformation

We take the myths doing the rounds, check them against the record, and show our working.

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Case files ยท 5

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Each film takes one claim that is doing the rounds and tests it on camera. The stamp is the verdict. Tap a film to watch it with the full check.

    From the desk

    Latest checks

    Claims from the news this month, checked against published sources. Every finding links to where it came from.

    FALSE

    A poll shows the ANC's support in the City of Tshwane at 43%.

    Said by: Social media graphic credited to the 'Independent Political Researchers Group (IPRG)', shared on X and Facebook

    Africa Check found the graphic, viewed over 40,000 times on X, came from an organisation it could not verify exists, and the graphic gives no sample size or method. Published polls put the ANC far lower in Tshwane: Ipsos at 22%, eNCA MarkData at 24.9% and the Social Research Foundation at 26%, with eNCA reporting the DA ahead on 33.9%.

    UNPROVEN

    Moody's has recognised a financial comeback in Tshwane, with debt falling to about 12% of operating revenue by the 2027 financial year.

    Said by: ActionSA and the City of Tshwane spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi

    ActionSA's statement and a Tshwane city statement both say Moody's published a review on 23 October 2026 with these figures. We could not find or read the Moody's report itself, and neither source names a rating or outlook. Both accounts come from the governing coalition and the city, not from Moody's.

    MOSTLY TRUE

    An eNCA MarkData poll puts the MK Party on 48% in eThekwini, the DA on 25.2% and the ANC on 14.5%.

    Said by: eNCA MarkData, as reported by TimesLIVE and eNCA

    TimesLIVE and eNCA both report MK on 48% and the DA on 25.2% in eThekwini. Only TimesLIVE gives the ANC at 14.5%, and eNCA only says the ANC is low. Sample size, fieldwork dates and margin of error are unclear: eNCA says about 3%, analyst Wayne Sussman says more than 3%, and TimesLIVE has a line that contradicts its own 48% figure for MK.

    MISLEADING

    Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina says the Bronkhorstspruit illnesses are not an outbreak.

    Said by: Pemmy Majodina, Minister of Water and Sanitation

    Majodina told reporters there is no outbreak because nobody has died or is critical, while Daily Maverick reports 833 people have sought care. Government's own update says 408 cases were reported from 7 to 18 October, the lab found norovirus, Campylobacter and Shigella, and water tests showed extremely high E. coli. The same update says no formal outbreak declaration has been made yet and more tests will decide it. The denial comes from a minister whose government is also under fire over the crisis.

    MOSTLY TRUE

    Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya admitted the city was negligent over the unchlorinated Bronkhorstspruit water, and the city failed to warn residents.

    Said by: EFF, which has called for Moya to resign, citing the water crisis

    EWN reports Moya admitted the city was negligent in not chlorinating the water, wrote that 'the buck stops with me', and said she will contest the EFF's criminal charges. The Department of Water and Sanitation found the plant ran without chlorine from 24 September to 14 October 2026 and that Tshwane failed to warn residents. The EFF cited no evidence that Moya ignored specific earlier warnings, so that part is unproven.

    MOSTLY TRUE

    The eNCA MarkData poll has the DA ahead of the ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay and Ekurhuleni.

    Said by: eNCA and outlets reporting the poll

    eNCA MarkData surveyed 1,000 likely voters in each of the six largest metros. It reports the DA on 37.7% to the ANC's 37.4% in Nelson Mandela Bay, and 31.2% to 29.4% in Ekurhuleni. Both leads are smaller than the margins of error (3.11% and 3.07%), so these are statistical ties, not clear DA leads.

    UNPROVEN

    The DA's own internal polling shows it is the largest party in five metros.

    Said by: Democratic Alliance (party statement, 12 October 2026)

    The DA says its internal polling puts it first in five metros and within the margin of error in eThekwini and Mangaung. The poll itself, its margin of error and the names of all five metros are not public. The only independent poll we could read, eNCA MarkData, shows the DA ahead in just two metros, both inside the margin of error.

    MOSTLY TRUE

    Sibonelo Nomvalo, fired by the MK Party on 22 to 23 October 2026, was its eighth secretary-general since it was formed in December 2023.

    Said by: The Citizen and other outlets, citing the MK Party's own statement

    The Citizen reports that Nomvalo was the eighth secretary-general since December 2023 and that the party removed him, with deputy secretary-general Lindiwe Mtshali now acting. The same article names only six earlier holders, so the count of eight is reported but the list we read does not fully show it. The reasons come from the MK Party itself, which cited the councillor selection process, factionalism and changes made without Jacob Zuma's knowledge. Nomvalo is not quoted in the article.

    MOSTLY TRUE

    Helen Zille is the most popular candidate for Johannesburg mayor.

    Said by: DA and media coverage of the eNCA MarkData poll

    The eNCA MarkData poll of 1 000 registered Johannesburg voters who intend to vote put Zille first at 30.6%, ahead of ActionSA's Herman Mashaba at 23.4% and ANC mayor Dada Morero at 15%. The margin of error is 3.08%, so the lead over Mashaba is real but not huge. Fieldwork ran 12 August to 10 September, before the ANC named a candidate, so the ANC options were a guess.

    UNPROVEN

    Tshwane's R777 million water tanker figure for 2024/25 includes about R156 million in cancelled or duplicated transactions, and actual spend was about R441 million.

    Said by: Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya (ActionSA)

    Moya made this reconciliation herself, in a statement on 19 October answering the DA's Cilliers Brink, who repeated the R777 million figure. She also said about R99 million of the spend predated her administration. This denial comes from the accused party itself, and we found no independent audit or city finance document confirming the R441 million.

    MOSTLY TRUE

    Four national polls show the ANC has fallen at least six points from its 2024 result of 40.2%, while the DA has grown at least three points.

    Said by: Daily Maverick

    Ipsos put the ANC at about 31% nationally and Social Research Foundation put it at 34% of likely voters (DA 27%), which fits a fall of six points or more from 40.2%. Daily Maverick states the six and three point figures, but its text does not list each poll's numbers, so We could only confirm two of the four. Polls are not election results and use different turnout models.

    TRUE

    President Ramaphosa publicly rejected ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula's call to review the DA's place in the GNU.

    Said by: Media reports (IOL, Cape Times, Daily Maverick)

    Mbalula said at the Constitutional Court on 15 October 2026 that 'we must review the DA in the GNU' after the DA opposed the ANC's candidate case. On Sunday 18 October Ramaphosa said the reasons for the GNU 'still hold' and that the local elections are separate from the national GNU. He did not back the review.