Cyril Ramaphosa Rubbishes Claims That the ANC Is Mobilising Asylum Seekers to Vote for the Party

President Cyril Ramaphosa has flatly dismissed online claims that the African National Congress intends to mobilise asylum seekers to vote for the party in the upcoming 4 November Local Government Elections, calling the allegation a fabrication with no basis in fact.

Speaking at the Black Wednesday National Press Freedom Day commemoration in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Monday, 19 October 2026, Ramaphosa addressed the rapidly spreading misinformation directly.

There’s just no way that the ANC would get asylum seekers to vote for it. There’s just no way. It’s a rubbish story. It does not exist. We never want to do something like that.

Ramaphosa highlighted the dangers of social media platforms, where stories are often planted by individuals who are not accountable to anyone.