Allexer Namundjembo
Artificial intelligence (AI) and social media platforms like WhatsApp played a major role in fuelling misinformation and disinformation during the 2024 presidential and National Assembly elections.
This is according to findings from the Namibia Fact Check project, led by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
The project, which ran from November 2024 to March 2025, tracked the spread of false political information across social media platforms.
It found that many political parties and public figures either had low social media presence or used their platforms to attack opponents rather than share policies or commitments.
“The political parties, those with functioning social media pages or profiles, mainly use these to post and spread photos and short video clips of campaign rallies and graphics of party slogans,” said IPPR Media Lead Federico Links during the project’s report presentation.
He said misinformation and smear campaigns were commonly shared by both political parties and the general public.
“There has been a circulation of smear campaigns, mainly targeting political party leaders during campaigns,” he noted.
Links cited one widely circulated false claim involving now-President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, alleging that she collapsed at a rally in Okahandja.
“Even the media ran it, but was there any evidence to back the allegations? It was all over social media and in WhatsApp groups that she collapsed, but until today, there is no video to support the allegations,” he said.
The project also uncovered fake letters claiming that the UK and EU were backing opposition leader Panduleni Itula.
“All these were fake materials used to discredit political parties. The EU denounced the letter,” said Links.
IPPR Director, Graham Hopwood, said Artificial Intelligence had become a significant tool in the spread of disinformation, with voices cloned and images generated to deceive the public.
“With AI, voices were cloned, and images were created. The disinformation is global, and with the geopolitical changes in the world, the spread of misinformation keeps changing,” Hopwood said.
He noted that localised disinformation was also a concern, such as speculation about political party funding and false claims around Cabinet appointments.
“That can include speculation as to where political parties are getting their funds from, and even this week, we have seen disinformation and attacks on the Cabinet appointments, which operate on a localised micro level,” he said.
Hopwood raised concern about a growing trend of information laundering, where fake content is made to resemble credible news sources.
“You can see how social media disinformation is appearing on a template that looks like the NBC, The Namibian, or other media houses being used to push disinformation narratives, which can also influence the media,” he said.
WhatsApp was identified as the most widely used platform for spreading false political information.
The platform was at the centre of circulating fake Cabinet lists and other misleading content during and after the elections.
With funding from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), the Namibia Fact Check project aimed to improve public awareness about how political communication shapes the electoral environment, especially through false or misleading content.
