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A weekly guide to spotting, understanding and stopping viral misinformation

“Breaking news” posts claim Cyril Ramaphosa is sending troops to support US attacks on Iran — but don’t be fooled, it’s not true.

Claim:

Social media posts suggest South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has committed troops to support US attacks on Iran.

Reality:

• This claim is false. South Africa is not sending any troops to support the US or any other country involved in the conflict.
• The viral posts originated from a political cartoon shared on Facebook by artist Gecci Art. While likely intended as satire, it was reposed with a “breaking news” caption that misled many into thinking it was real. 
• Some accounts then amplified it, including one primarily selling clothing which posted it in at least 28 fashion groups.

What Ramaphosa actually said:

• South Africa is committed to peaceful, diplomatic solutions, not military intervention.
• He stressed that anticipatory self-defence is not allowed under international law.
• South Africa remains ready to contribute to mediation or UN-directed roles but has made no promise of troops.

Why it spread:

Social media users often share political cartoons or jokes as if they are real news. Coupled with dramatic captions, misinformation can quickly go viral—even in unrelated groups.

Takeaway:

Always check the source and context before sharing “breaking news” posts, especially those with cartoons or dramatic captions.

Other times satire has been taken out of context

• South African education minister didn’t say food came from supermarkets, not farms.
• No, South African university not offering witchcraft course – it’s just satire.
• Marshmallow eggs satanic demon embryos that ‘hatch inside your child’? Relax – it’s satire.
• World Athletics has not introduced new rule to reward ‘non-East African runners’ in marathons.

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. 

FALSE: Facebook posts claiming an “illegal” immigrant man will be a candidate in an upcoming South African by-election are going viral. But only citizens can contest elections, and the electoral commission says it has systems in place to enforce this.

FALSE: Claims that South Africa’s government is “removing” English from public schools have been circulating on social media. This may be a misinterpretation of recent efforts to expand mother-tongue bilingual education in schools beyond grade 3. English is NOT being removed as a subject or language of instruction.

SCAM: A graphic claims that the Department of Basic Education and the SA Youth initiative are offering teacher assistant and general school assistant jobs for 2026. There are a few signs that the poster is out to scam unsuspecting job seekers, including grammatical errors, an unverified number and not directing users to official DBE or SA Youth platforms.

Kenya 🇰🇪

FALSE: A short TikTok video and images circulating online appear to show Kenyan governor Gladys Wanga with her dress lifted while at a church event. But the visuals are AI-generated and based on altered photos from the event.

FALSE: A graphic circulating on Facebook claims former chief justice David Maraga has withdrawn from the 2027 presidential race in favour of Fred Matiang’i, a powerful former interior minister. But there is no credible evidence for this.

FAKE: A graphic attributing a quote to former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta in which he regrets handing over power to president William Ruto is gaining online attention. However, it is fake.

Nigeria 🇳🇬

FALSE: Several Facebook posts claim that Tunji Alausa plans to resign as Nigeria’s education minister to contest the Lagos state governorship. He has denied this.

FALSE: Online claims that the governor of Nigeria's Abia state Alex Otti has announced plans to install public cameras across the state are not supported by evidence.

FALSE: Several social media posts claim that Nigerian business mogul Aliko Dangote is selling his oil refinery for “about $30 billion”. There is also no proof for this.

SCAM: Messages claiming that Nigeria’s electoral commission is recruiting ad hoc staff for the 2027 general elections are false. Inec says vacancies will only be announced on its official website and verified channels.

We’ve kicked off our South Africa election training workshops in KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.

So far, 190 journalists have joined us to strengthen their reporting ahead of the local government elections  — with 7 more provinces to go.

Africa Check’s sessions focus on:
• Fact-checking election claims
• Verifying social media content
• Identifying disinformation narratives

Strong, accurate reporting is essential for credible elections — and it starts in the newsroom.

This work is made possible in partnership with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef), South African Local Government Association (SALGA), Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) and Moxii Africa (formerly Media Monitoring Africa).

Who checks the facts? "Behind the Facts" interviews the fact-checkers fighting misinformation.

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Thanks for reading!

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).