Category South Africa

Old military training drill video falsely passed off as footage of US soldiers fighting in Ukraine

A video of soldiers jumping out of a plane with parachutes has been shared tens of thousands of times on Facebook in South Africa alongside a claim that it shows US paratroopers joining the war in Ukraine. But this is false: the footage, which has been viewed millions of times, has been online since at least 2016 and features US soldiers performing parachute drills at the Pope Army Airfield in North Carolina.

Read MoreOld military training drill video falsely passed off as footage of US soldiers fighting in Ukraine

Misleading posts circulate old footage of two Russian Tu-160 bombers arriving in South Africa

A Facebook post has shared a broadcast video of warplanes as proof that a pair of supersonic Russian nuclear jets touched down in South Africa's capital Pretoria amid the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, the claim has been shared out of context: the footage, while authentic, was taken in 2019 when Russia landed two of its heralded 'White Swans' strategic bombers in South Africa to 'deepen military cooperation' between the two nations.

Read MoreMisleading posts circulate old footage of two Russian Tu-160 bombers arriving in South Africa

Fabricated news alert falsely claims Russian president told South Africa’s ANC to keep out of its affairs

A purported screengrab posted on Facebook in South Africa and shared hundreds of times purports to show a news item published by local media house News24 according to which Russian President Vladimir Putin told the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to stop meddling in its affairs. But this is false; News24 denied the report belonged to them while the Russian embassy in South Africa dismissed the claim of a warning from Putin.

Read MoreFabricated news alert falsely claims Russian president told South Africa’s ANC to keep out of its affairs

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