This week’s brief highlights key findings from the monitoring period spanning 26 August to 02 September 2026, during which 208 election-related items were recorded and analysed. This represents a noticeable increase in media activity compared to the previous reporting period, which captured 155 election-related news stories. The increase could be attributed to amongst other things, the 28 August deadline for political parties to submit their candidates list to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).

Read the main trends from this week's brief below.

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