THE Ministry of Health has become aware of a message that has appeared on several social media platforms, claiming that the Minister of Health, Dr Zwelini Mkhize, owns a PPE manufacturing company.
According to the department, this message has appeared on various people’s Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp threads.
A statement from the department said that Minister Mkhize does not own a PPE manufacturing company nor is he involved in any way in the manufacturing of PPE.
In anticipation of any further emergence of fake news, the department has said it also categorically states that nobody in Minister Mkhize’s family is in the business of manufacturing, selling or distribution of PPE.
The statement said: “We hope that this clarifies the matter and that all individuals that are either the originators of this content or those who have advanced the content by sharing or commenting will take the opportunity to immediately remove the content from their platforms and issue an apology to the Minister and to the public for advancing fake news.”
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It said creating or advancing fake news remains an offense under the National State of Disaster and the Department of Health will not hesitate to take action against those found to be creating or perpetuating fake news.
“This kind of content is damaging to the reputation of honest, hard working members of the executive. It distracts away from and undermines the important work of fighting the Coronavirus,” the statement read.
The department implores the public to be circumspect in their engagement with social media content and not find themselves becoming agents of fake news and misinformation.
“We are still in the midst of a pandemic and the best way to fight it is by arming ourselves with facts and sound knowledge that empowers us to defeat the Coronavirus,” the department added.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
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