On the eve of South Africa’s local government elections, a quiet but critical battle is being fought over the truth itself. The usual campaign noise has been joined by something more sinister: an invisible digital storm of manipulated images, cloned voices, and algorithmically weaponised rumours. Public officials and independent fact-checkers recently gathered around a table to confront this threat, and their message was both urgent and deeply human. This is not just a story about algorithms and artificial intelligence; it is a story about whether voters can still trust what they see, hear, and read before they cast their ballots.…

On a bright Tuesday afternoon in Phoenix, a steady stream of people made their way toward a familiar community gathering spot, not for a festival or a protest, but for something just as meaningful: the simple act of casting a ballot. The sidewalk outside the event, organized by Mi Familia en Accion, was lined with volunteers holding clipboards and water bottles, offering directions and words of encouragement to voters who had arrived with purpose in their eyes. Music played softly in the background, mixing with the warm hum of conversations in Spanish and English. For Jesus Sarabia, the scene felt…