As we close out another busy year, we want to thank you for being part of our community. Your engagement – reading, sharing and questioning – has made our work both possible and meaningful.

Throughout the year, our team has unpacked claims about the economy, health, crime and more. Rapid developments in AI technology meant that we spent a lot of time exposing deepfakes. And a new US administration saw us pushing back against several falsehoods, especially as they related to Nigeria and South Africa.

We’ve also placed greater emphasis on prebunking, publishing explainers that demystified complex topics from trade wars and vaccines to laws and treaties.

Our goal with this work has remained the same: to provide clear, reliable information that strengthens public debate and helps people make informed decisions. 

As we reflect, we must also acknowledge the challenges. Our work requires time, specialist skills and careful verification. However, the funding landscape is shifting in ways that directly affect the scale of the work organisations like ours can take on. Traditional revenue streams continue to shrink, and philanthropic support, which has helped sustain public interest journalism, is also under pressure. 

We share this not to alarm you, but to be transparent. Despite the challenges, we remain deeply committed to our mission. And in this environment, your contributions – whether financial or by simply sharing our work – are increasingly important. They help to ensure that we can continue to respond quickly when misinformation threatens to do harm. 

So thank you for welcoming our fact-checks into your inbox every week and for standing with us in the pursuit of accuracy. We look forward to continuing this work with you in the new year. 

From the Africa Check team, happy holidays. 

In 2025, our "Behind the Facts" podcast explored the work of fact-checkers confronting forces that threaten the integrity of information.

From algorithm manipulation to climate narratives, here is what we learned from fact-checkers working across digital platforms, offline communities, conflict zones and climate-affected regions.

• Algorithms vs. accuracy: Viral content often spreads faster than verified information; fact-checkers are innovating with AI and chatbots.
• Beyond the digital divide: Radio, school clubs, and community networks help reach audiences with limited internet access.
• Information deserts & conflict zones: Fact-checkers use investigative methods and local networks to verify claims where data is scarce.
• Transforming newsrooms: Embedding fact-checking in newsrooms fosters accountability and shapes public discourse.
• Foreign manipulation: External actors exploit misinformation to inflame tensions, highlighting global information threats.
• Africa’s climate narrative: Reporting emphasises local innovation and adaptation, not just crisis.

Defending accuracy requires resilience, innovation and constant adaptation. Every time you pause to verify before sharing, you strengthen a culture of truth.

Listen to all episodes on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

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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: No quick fix here. A viral post claims that apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and cayenne pepper can cure nerve pain, depression, rheumatism and more. But there is little evidence to support this.

SCAM: The South African Social Security Agency, Sassa, is not offering “free food parcels for December and January” through social media or dodgy links. Sassa says that applications for food parcels can only be made in person or via its official WhatsApp number.

SCAM: A Facebook post claiming the South African Police Service is urgently hiring 400 cleaners across all provinces is false. The advert links to an external site and is a scam.

SCAM:Posts claiming that popular fast-food franchise KFC is hiring “unemployed people & students” for December are false. These scam posts drive social media users to unverified websites to generate revenue. 

Kenya 🇰🇪

FALSE: A widely shared photo is claimed to show an attack at a Roman Catholic radio station in Kasama, Zambia. But this is not true. The image shows violence during a Kenyan by-election.

FALSE: Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology says a brief display of zero balances was caused by a routine system upgrade, not a hacking incident as claimed online.

FAKE: A graphic on social media made to look like it comes from Star Digital shows an “Odinga succession” timeline ending with Winnie Odinga as cabinet secretary for energy and petroleum. But it's fake.

FAKE: Kenya’s Standard newspaper didn’t publish a headline calling the former deputy president ‘A Man Driven by Revenge’. The viral front page was fabricated.

Nigeria 🇳🇬

FALSE: Amid rising kidnaps in Nigeria, some Facebook users have claimed that Economic and Financial Crimes Commission staff were abducted while travelling to Kwara state. There is no evidence for this.

FALSE: The Nigerian government board for recruitment and discipline in paramilitary services has denied issuing a circulating press release announcing a recruitment screening.

FALSE: A Facebook post claims that South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has urged Nigeria to release Biafra separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, who was jailed for terrorism. This is false.

18 December is International Migrants Day, a moment to recognise the valuable contributions migrants make around the world and to reflect on the increasingly complex realities of migration.

According to South Africa’s 2022 census, about 2.4 million international migrants live in the country. Migrants made up 3.9% of the population in 2022, down slightly from 4.2% in 2011.

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

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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).