diff --git a/octopoes/bits/spf_discovery/spf_discovery.py b/octopoes/bits/spf_discovery/spf_discovery.py
index 63196e44d8f..14461ececa9 100644
--- a/octopoes/bits/spf_discovery/spf_discovery.py
+++ b/octopoes/bits/spf_discovery/spf_discovery.py
@@ -5,7 +5,12 @@
 from octopoes.models import OOI
 from octopoes.models.ooi.dns.records import DNSTXTRecord
 from octopoes.models.ooi.dns.zone import Hostname
-from octopoes.models.ooi.email_security import DNSSPFMechanismHostname, DNSSPFMechanismIP, DNSSPFRecord
+from octopoes.models.ooi.email_security import (
+    DNSSPFMechanismHostname,
+    DNSSPFMechanismIP,
+    DNSSPFRecord,
+    MechanismQualifier,
+)
 from octopoes.models.ooi.findings import Finding, KATFindingType
 from octopoes.models.ooi.network import IPAddressV4, IPAddressV6, Network
 
@@ -21,18 +26,21 @@ def run(input_ooi: DNSTXTRecord, additional_oois: list, config: dict[str, Any])
             for mechanism in parsed[1]:
                 # strip of optional mechanism qualifiers
                 # http://www.open-spf.org/SPF_Record_Syntax/
+
                 if mechanism.startswith(("+", "-", "~", "?")):
-                    mechanismqualifier = mechanism[0]
+                    mechanism_qualifier = mechanism[0]
                     mechanism = mechanism[1:]
                 else:
-                    mechanismqualifier = "+"
+                    mechanism_qualifier = "+"
+
+                mechanism_qualifier = MechanismQualifier(mechanism_qualifier)
 
                 # ip4 and ip6 mechanisms
                 if mechanism.startswith(("ip4:", "ip6:")):
-                    yield from parse_ip_qualifiers(mechanismqualifier, mechanism, input_ooi, spf_record)
+                    yield from parse_ip_qualifiers(mechanism_qualifier, mechanism, input_ooi, spf_record)
                 # a mechanisms and mx mechanisms have the same syntax
                 if mechanism.startswith("a") or mechanism.startswith("mx"):
-                    yield from parse_a_mx_qualifiers(mechanismqualifier, mechanism, input_ooi, spf_record)
+                    yield from parse_a_mx_qualifiers(mechanism_qualifier, mechanism, input_ooi, spf_record)
                 # exists ptr and include mechanisms have a similar syntax
                 if (
                     mechanism.startswith("exists")
@@ -57,7 +65,7 @@ def run(input_ooi: DNSTXTRecord, additional_oois: list, config: dict[str, Any])
 
 
 def parse_ip_qualifiers(
-    mechanismqualifier: str, mechanism: str, input_ooi: DNSTXTRecord, spf_record: DNSSPFRecord
+    mechanism_qualifier: MechanismQualifier, mechanism: str, input_ooi: DNSTXTRecord, spf_record: DNSSPFRecord
 ) -> Iterator[OOI]:
     # split mechanism into qualifier and ip
     qualifier, ip = mechanism.split(":", 1)
@@ -73,7 +81,7 @@ def parse_ip_qualifiers(
             )
             yield ip_address
             yield DNSSPFMechanismIP(
-                spf_record=spf_record.reference, ip=ip_address.reference, qualifier=mechanismqualifier, mechanism="ip4"
+                spf_record=spf_record.reference, ip=ip_address.reference, qualifier=mechanism_qualifier, mechanism="ip4"
             )
         if qualifier == "ip6":
             ip_address = IPAddressV6(
@@ -81,19 +89,19 @@ def parse_ip_qualifiers(
             )
             yield ip_address
             yield DNSSPFMechanismIP(
-                spf_record=spf_record.reference, ip=ip_address.reference, qualifier=mechanismqualifier, mechanism="ip6"
+                spf_record=spf_record.reference, ip=ip_address.reference, qualifier=mechanism_qualifier, mechanism="ip6"
             )
 
 
 def parse_a_mx_qualifiers(
-    mechanismqualifier: str, mechanism: str, input_ooi: DNSTXTRecord, spf_record: DNSSPFRecord
+    mechanism_qualifier: MechanismQualifier, mechanism: str, input_ooi: DNSTXTRecord, spf_record: DNSSPFRecord
 ) -> Iterator[OOI]:
     if mechanism == "a" or mechanism == "mx":
         yield DNSSPFMechanismHostname(
             spf_record=spf_record.reference,
             hostname=input_ooi.hostname,
             mechanism=mechanism,
-            qualifier=mechanismqualifier,
+            qualifier=mechanism_qualifier,
         )
     else:
         mechanism_type, domain = mechanism.split(":", 1)
@@ -106,7 +114,7 @@ def parse_a_mx_qualifiers(
             spf_record=spf_record.reference,
             hostname=hostname.reference,
             mechanism=mechanism_type,
-            qualifier=mechanismqualifier,
+            qualifier=mechanism_qualifier,
         )
     if mechanism.startswith("a/") or mechanism.startswith("mx/"):
         mechanism_type, domain = mechanism.split("/", 1)
@@ -118,7 +126,7 @@ def parse_a_mx_qualifiers(
             spf_record=spf_record.reference,
             hostname=hostname.reference,
             mechanism=mechanism_type,
-            qualifier=mechanismqualifier,
+            qualifier=mechanism_qualifier,
         )
 
 
diff --git a/octopoes/octopoes/models/ooi/email_security.py b/octopoes/octopoes/models/ooi/email_security.py
index e77d6a3bc74..974d9aaf643 100644
--- a/octopoes/octopoes/models/ooi/email_security.py
+++ b/octopoes/octopoes/models/ooi/email_security.py
@@ -31,8 +31,20 @@ def format_reference_human_readable(cls, reference: Reference) -> str:
         return f"SPF Record of {reference.tokenized.dns_txt_record.hostname.name}"
 
 
-# functional syntax due to special chars
-MechanismQualifier = Enum("MechanismQualifier", [("+", "Allow"), ("-", "Fail"), ("~", "Softfail"), ("?", "Neutral")])
+class MechanismQualifier(Enum):
+    ALLOW = "+"
+    FAIL = "-"
+    SOFTFAIL = "~"
+    NEUTRAL = "?"
+
+    # the string representation maps to a human readable format of the qualifier
+    def __str__(self):
+        return {
+            MechanismQualifier.ALLOW: "Allow",
+            MechanismQualifier.FAIL: "Fail",
+            MechanismQualifier.SOFTFAIL: "Softfail",
+            MechanismQualifier.NEUTRAL: "Neutral",
+        }[self]
 
 
 class DNSSPFMechanism(OOI):
@@ -44,7 +56,7 @@ class DNSSPFMechanismIP(DNSSPFMechanism):
     object_type: Literal["DNSSPFMechanismIP"] = "DNSSPFMechanismIP"
 
     ip: Reference = ReferenceField(IPAddress)
-    qualifier: MechanismQualifier = MechanismQualifier["+"]
+    qualifier: MechanismQualifier = MechanismQualifier.ALLOW
 
     _natural_key_attrs = ["spf_record", "mechanism", "ip", "qualifier"]
     _information_value = ["mechanism", "qualifier"]