Call for Entries: Civic Graph Fellowship (South Africa)

Deadline: 28-Jun-2026

Code for Africa is offering seven part-time Civic Graph Fellowships in South Africa to support the development of open-source civic data systems. The fellowship focuses on mapping Politically Exposed Persons and Politically Influential Persons using verified public data and open civic data formats.

Selected fellows will work part-time for three months and receive a competitive monthly stipend. Fellows will collect, verify, structure and integrate civic data into the Troll Tracker platform, which monitors public accounts and tracks messaging changes over time.

What is the Code for Africa Civic Graph Fellowship?

The Code for Africa Civic Graph Fellowship is a part-time civic technology opportunity in South Africa.

The fellowship supports the development of open-source civic datasets that improve transparency, accountability and public-interest data infrastructure.

It focuses on mapping Politically Exposed Persons and Politically Influential Persons using verified public sources and structured data standards.

Main Purpose of the Fellowship

The main purpose of the fellowship is to strengthen civic data systems in South Africa.

The programme supports fellows who will:

• Collect civic data from public sources
• Verify information on PEPs and PIPs
• Standardise data using open civic data formats
• Improve transparency and interoperability
• Validate public social media identifiers
• Support civic monitoring through the Troll Tracker platform
• Contribute to open-source accountability tools

Fellowship Location

The fellowship is based in South Africa.

Applicants must have knowledge of South African public information sources, civic data contexts and local languages.

Fellowship Duration

The fellowship runs for three months.

It is a part-time opportunity.

Number of Fellowships

Code for Africa is offering seven part-time Civic Graph Fellowships.

Fellowship Benefits

Selected fellows will receive:

• A competitive monthly stipend
• Mentorship from Code for Africa’s iLab team
• Practical experience in civic data collection and verification
• Exposure to open-source intelligence methods
• Experience working with structured civic datasets
• Participation in a civic technology project focused on transparency

Who is Eligible?

The fellowship is open to candidates in South Africa with strong data collection and verification skills.

Suitable applicants may include:

• Analysts
• Technologists
• University students
• Civic data researchers
• Open-source intelligence practitioners
• Data-focused media or civic technology contributors

Applicants should preferably have experience working with civic data or structured public-interest datasets.

Required Skills

Applicants must demonstrate strong technical and communication skills.

Required skills include:

• Strong proficiency in Google Sheets
• Ability to use formulas in Google Sheets
• Experience collecting data from social media platforms
• Ability to verify public information
• Fluency in English
• Fluency in at least one South African language
• Strong attention to detail
• Clear and timely communication with the project team

South African Language Requirement

Applicants must be fluent in English and at least one of the following South African languages:

• Afrikaans
• isiXhosa
• isiZulu
• Sepedi
• Sesotho
• Setswana

This language requirement supports accurate data collection, verification and interpretation across South African public information sources.

Social Media Data Collection Experience

Applicants should have experience collecting and checking data from social media platforms.

Relevant platforms include:

• TikTok
• Facebook
• X
• YouTube
• Telegram

Fellows will help identify, verify and validate official or public accounts connected to PEPs and PIPs.

Key Concepts Explained

Politically Exposed Persons

Politically Exposed Persons are individuals who hold or have held prominent public positions. They may include elected officials, senior government leaders or people with significant public authority.

Politically Influential Persons

Politically Influential Persons are individuals who may not hold formal office but have influence over political conversations, public policy, campaigns, institutions or civic discourse.

Civic Data

Civic data is public-interest information related to governance, public institutions, elections, political actors and accountability.

Open Civic Data Formats

Open civic data formats are standardised structures used to organise public information so that it can be reused, shared, verified and integrated across platforms.

Open-Source Intelligence

Open-source intelligence involves collecting and analysing publicly available information from official records, media, public websites, social platforms and other open sources.

Troll Tracker Platform

Troll Tracker is a platform that uses machine learning and natural language processing to monitor PEP and PIP accounts, detect content changes and track messaging shifts over time.

What Fellows Will Do

Fellows will support the creation of structured and verified civic datasets.

Key responsibilities include:

• Collecting data on PEPs and PIPs
• Reviewing official public sources
• Checking electoral datasets
• Reviewing government gazettes
• Searching public registries
• Gathering social media identifiers
• Validating official accounts
• Checking verification badges
• Confirming identity consistency
• Adding structured data to civic datasets
• Supporting integration into Troll Tracker

Types of Data to Be Collected

Fellows may collect and verify different categories of public data.

These may include:

• Names of PEPs and PIPs
• Roles or public positions
• Gender
• Official social media accounts
• Websites
• Public profiles
• Wikipedia entries
• Public registry information
• Electoral data
• Government gazette references
• Other relevant public identifiers

Data Verification Requirements

Accuracy is a major priority for the fellowship.

Fellows must carry out verification checks such as:

• Confirming whether an account is official
• Checking verification badges where available
• Comparing identity details across sources
• Reviewing public records
• Checking consistency between names, roles and accounts
• Confirming that sources are reliable
• Avoiding unverified or speculative information

How the Fellowship Works

Selected fellows will work closely with Code for Africa’s iLab team.

They will collect, verify, clean and structure data using open-source data collection standards.

The verified information will be integrated into the Troll Tracker platform, which helps monitor accounts, detect content changes and track shifts in public messaging.

How to Apply

Applicants should prepare an application that demonstrates their data skills, verification experience and interest in civic technology.

Suggested Application Steps

1. Confirm that you are based in or eligible to work on South African civic data.
2. Review the fellowship focus on PEPs, PIPs and civic datasets.
3. Highlight your Google Sheets and formula skills.
4. Describe your experience collecting data from social media platforms.
5. Show familiarity with open-source intelligence methods.
6. Mention any experience with civic data, public records or structured datasets.
7. Confirm fluency in English and at least one listed South African language.
8. Explain how you ensure accuracy and verification in data work.
9. Demonstrate ability to communicate clearly and meet deadlines.
10. Submit the application according to Code for Africa’s fellowship requirements.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed based on technical ability and civic data readiness.

Key selection criteria include:

• Data collection ability
• Data verification skills
• Google Sheets proficiency
• Familiarity with formulas
• Experience with social media identifiers
• Familiarity with open-source intelligence
• Experience with structured civic datasets
• Attention to accuracy
• Ability to follow data quality standards
• Communication and collaboration skills

Expected Results

The fellowship is expected to contribute to stronger civic data infrastructure in South Africa.

Expected results include:

• More accurate PEP and PIP datasets
• Better verified social media identifiers
• Improved open civic data systems
• Stronger public-interest monitoring tools
• Better integration with Troll Tracker
• Improved transparency and accountability resources
• Increased capacity among fellows in civic technology and data verification

Why It Matters

Reliable civic data is essential for transparency, accountability and public-interest monitoring.

By mapping Politically Exposed Persons and Politically Influential Persons, the fellowship helps create structured datasets that can support journalists, researchers, civil society and civic technology platforms.

The project also strengthens the use of open-source methods and machine learning tools to monitor public communication and identify changes in political messaging over time.

Tips for Strong Applications

A strong application should clearly demonstrate practical data experience.

Applicants should focus on:

• Strong Google Sheets examples
• Experience using formulas
• Experience verifying social media accounts
• Knowledge of South African public data sources
• Familiarity with civic or political information
• Ability to work accurately with structured datasets
• Clear understanding of open-source data standards
• Strong language skills
• Good communication habits
• Interest in transparency and accountability

Applicants should show that they can work carefully, verify information independently and follow structured data quality rules.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid submitting generic applications that do not show relevant data skills.

Common mistakes include:

• Not demonstrating Google Sheets proficiency
• Failing to mention formula skills
• Providing weak examples of data verification
• Ignoring the South African language requirement
• Not showing experience with social media platforms
• Confusing opinion research with verified civic data work
• Failing to explain open-source intelligence experience
• Overlooking communication and deadline expectations
• Submitting vague claims without examples
• Not showing attention to accuracy and data quality

FAQ

What is the Code for Africa Civic Graph Fellowship?

It is a part-time fellowship in South Africa supporting the development of open-source civic datasets on Politically Exposed Persons and Politically Influential Persons.

How many fellowships are available?

Code for Africa is offering seven part-time fellowships.

How long does the fellowship last?

The fellowship lasts three months.

What benefits do fellows receive?

Selected fellows receive a competitive monthly stipend and mentorship from Code for Africa’s iLab team.

What skills are required?

Applicants must have strong Google Sheets and formula skills, experience collecting social media data, fluency in English and at least one listed South African language.

What platforms should applicants know?

Applicants should have experience collecting data from platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, X, YouTube and Telegram.

What will the data be used for?

Verified data will be integrated into the Troll Tracker platform, which monitors PEP and PIP accounts, detects content changes and tracks messaging shifts over time.

Conclusion

The Code for Africa Civic Graph Fellowship offers a practical opportunity for South African analysts, technologists, students and civic data practitioners to contribute to open-source public-interest data systems. By mapping and verifying information on Politically Exposed Persons and Politically Influential Persons, fellows will help strengthen transparency, accountability and civic monitoring.

Strong applicants will demonstrate technical data skills, social media verification experience, open-source intelligence knowledge, language ability and a strong commitment to data accuracy. The fellowship is especially relevant for candidates interested in civic technology, public accountability and structured civic data.

For more information, visit Code for Africa.