JOHANNESBURG - Political parties are wasting no time, hitting the ground running, trying to win the hearts of voters.
This comes as the country awaits for an official date of the local government elections to be proclaimed.
The Democratic Alliance's Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Helen Zille swam in a pothole in Douglasdale highlighting the lack of service delivery in the City.
Prior to that, she visited squatter camps and communities in Johannesburg that have been battling with water supply issues. During the latter visit, residents were not pleased as they saw her presence being used to score political points.
Meanwhile, Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane keeps touting on social media about the education pass mark being 30 percent and needs to be increased.
The Department of Basic Education has long debunked the myth calling it untrue.
ActionSA leader, Herman Mashaba was, once again, unintentionally peddling false information.
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He shared on his social an AI-generated picture of a pregnant Dr Nandipha Magudumana. The image insinuated that the disgraced doctor, who is awaiting trial, got pregnant while in police custody.
President @CyrilRamaphosa, why are you destroying our country?
We are all going to be judged by your actions and inaction. https://t.co/tNQEhIJ7FF— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) April 1, 2026
Social media users took it upon themselves to correct him. To which he responded saying he 'hoped' it was an April Fools joke.
It’s okay to verify things you see on the internet before commenting Mr Mashaba this picture is edited pic.twitter.com/04rzqhkNin
— The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) April 1, 2026
In this case, Tebogo Ditshego, CEO of Ditshego Media said it is very important for politicians and people in influential positions to hire professions to handle their social media platforms.
"The proliferation of artificial intelligence has moved at lightning speed," he says.
"It is necessary for us to develop regulations around artificial intelligence content," he adds.
Voter alienation, low trust in municipalities and an unclear appetite for elections is making it hard for South Africans to decide who to vote for.
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According to an IPSOS study, almost 50 percent of South Africans do not feel like any political party represents them. Only 48 percent believe their municipalities are doing their jobs.
"We're calling it political homelessness," Ipos's Natalie Otte said.
"It's quite said really when we have over 500 parties registered to take part in the local government elections," she adds.
With more parties announcing their candidates, campaigning is yet to reach full intensity.
"With half of the people still not connected yet, it is very concerning,"Otte said.
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Otte noted that South Africans remain subdued in political interest.
About 64 percent of South Africans still deem it important to vote. This shows that there is still a desire to vote.
The research shows that the youth have a lot of distrust in the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
"This is sad, because we really want to the youth to take part as they are our future," Otte said.
Otte addsthat as campaigning picks up and leaders start engaging potential constituents, things could change.