South Africa Refers Asylum Disinformation Campaign to Electoral Commission

The Department of Home Affairs has referred a large-scale, coordinated disinformation campaign to the Electoral Commission of South Africa for action under a new Code of Conduct on Countering Disinformation. The campaign used AI-generated images and false claims to criticize a department directive implementing a July 7, 2026, Constitutional Court ruling in favor of the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town.

The court found that certain provisions of the Refugees Act were unconstitutional because they created unjustified barriers to asylum claims based on how individuals entered the country. Consequently, the ruling requires refugee reception offices to admit anyone wishing to apply for asylum and led to the suspension of 'good cause' interviews. The department clarified that the judgment does not grant citizenship, automatic refugee status, or blanket legalization for foreign nationals.

Disinformation actors falsely claimed that Minister Leon Schreiber and various political parties initiated the suspension of interviews. Some AI-generated images depicted Schreiber and Helen Zille welcoming asylum seekers. While the department stated it vigorously opposed the judgment, it maintained it is constitutionally mandated to implement the binding ruling. Political figures from ActionSA and the SA First Forum criticized the directive, arguing it threatens national sovereignty and could lead to disastrous immigration volumes.