• In October 2025, we fact-checked six claims by DA chair Helen Zille during a heated radio interview ahead of the 2026 local elections. Two were correct, four incorrect — including her claim that Johannesburg spends the least on maintenance.

• Zille later clarified she meant overall maintenance, citing an auditor general report. It confirms Johannesburg spent less than any other metro on repairs and maintenance of its municipal assets — from water and roads to electricity, buildings, and even zoo facilities. Spending dropped from R2.8 billion in 2020/21 to R229 million in 2023/24.

• While no metro met the national treasury's spending benchmark, the City of Cape Town and eThekwini spent more than others. 

• Claims on Facebook say Operation Dudula members violently attacked foreign street vendors in Johannesburg on 12 November 2025, using three graphic photos as “proof”.

• But there’s no evidence this happened, and the photos are old and unrelated. Two photos are from Kenya (2016 and 2017 protests), while the the third image is from Johannesburg in 2015, during earlier xenophobic violence.

• There are no credible reports of attacks on street vendors on 12 November 2025. Recent tensions, including the October eviction of traders from the Dunusa market, may have fueled the rumour, but no verified violence was linked to these events.

Every fact-check involves hours of research, investigation and verification. Our team works daily to expose scams, hold the powerful accountable and stop false health claims from doing real harm.

But none of this is possible without you.

Together, we can protect truth and empower communities with reliable, fact-based information.

Help us keep independent fact-checking alive.

We’ve just wrapped up a two-week Africa Check x Konrad Adenauer Stiftung fellowship in Nairobi, Kenya, our East and Central Africa hub.

Journalists and fact-checkers from five African countries joined us to sharpen their skills in verifying information, using AI responsibly and analysing data with confidence.

The programme’s goal was to nurture a new generation of reporters dedicated to protecting truth, strengthening trust and building information resilience across the continent. 

In this episode of Behind the Facts, we explore how African fact-checkers are reshaping the climate narrative — challenging misconceptions, correcting viral myths, and spotlighting what global coverage often leaves out.

Our guest, Lanre Olagunju, Editor-in-Chief of CheckClimate Africa, helps us unpack how misinformation distorts public understanding and why accurate, locally rooted reporting is essential as the continent adapts to a changing climate.

From misleading climate claims spreading online to powerful stories that rarely make headlines, we dig into how the narratives we amplify — and the ones that stay untold — shape Africa’s response to the climate crisis.

Tune in and discover the facts behind the climate stories that matter.

The 25th of November marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which focuses on one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world.

According to a national study published in 2022, 22.4% of women in South Africa reported experiencing physical violence by a partner in their lifetime. This translates to an estimated 3,221,649 women.

Explore more key facts about gender with Africa Check’s Info Finder. Empower yourself with verified facts today. 

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, despite being widely shared.

SCAM: A message claims that Sasol is accepting applications as part of a large learnership and training programme for 2025, with stipends of up to R15,000 and immediate employment. But the energy and chemical company has debunked the message, warning that it is a scam.

Kenya 🇰🇪

FAKE: According to a statement circulating online, former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua hasn’t visited the family of the late Raila Odinga because the two politicians were not friends. But the statement is fake and should be ignored.

Nigeria 🇳🇬

FALSE: Videos of a clash between a young Nigerian naval officer, AM Yerima, and the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, went viral on social media on 11 November 2025. But a photo that followed the day after, with the claim that it showed Yerima with the current chief of naval staff at the same property, was misleading.

FALSE: After Donald Trump accused Nigeria of allowing Christian persecution, without giving any evidence for this, social media posts have claimed US airstrikes caused explosions in Kaduna in northwestern Nigeria. But there are no credible reports, government statements, or media evidence supporting this false claim. 

FALSE: Several Facebook posts claim that Nigerian senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has responded to the suggestion of the US setting up a military base in the oil-rich Port Harcourt and said that “whoever wants the oil can come and get it”. But we found no evidence that he made this statement. 

FALSE: Several Facebook posts claim that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general of the World Trade Organization, urged Nigerian president Bola Tinubu to focus on protecting Nigerians rather than reacting to US president Donald Trump’s remarks. But the claim is false.

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Your weekly dose of facts in newsletter form is created by Laura Kapelari (@laurakapelari). It is edited by Lee Mwiti (@LMAfrican) and Cayley Clifford (@cayleyclifford).