Deputy President to Address the launch of Principles and Guidelines for the use of Digital and Social Media in African Elections

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His Excellency Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile will on Tuesday, 27 February 2024, deliver a keynote address on the launch of principles and guidelines for the use of digital and social media in African elections at the Protea Hotel, Wanderers in Illovo, Johannesburg.

These guidelines seek to create awareness among Election Management Bodies and other stakeholders on the benefits and threats of digital and social media to the electoral process and integrity.

These principles and guidelines are a comprehensive framework for the continental EMBs and were adopted in Cotonou, Benin during the 11th General Assembly meeting of Association of African Electoral Authorities (AAEA) in November 2023.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa provided secretariat support and facilitated the process for the development of these guidelines. The first draft of the guidelines was presented at the validation workshop hosted by the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in September last year.

These guidelines are relevant to the South African context as they are aligned to our appreciation of the pivotal role that social media plays in strengthening our democracy, and the importance of social media as a source for credible and factual information to the public.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency: Republic of South Africa.