The Presidency has confirmed that an apparent media advisory sent out earlier today, stating that President Cyril Ramaphosa would address the nation tonight, is fake.
Spokesperson for the presidency Khusela Diko says the President will not be addressing the nation tonight.
She has also appealed to those behind the bogus media advisory to refrain from spreading fake news at a time when South Africans are anxious about the coronavirus pandemic.
“The presidency has not issued such advisory the presidency is not addressing the nation tonight. The impact of this its not funny, it’s not a joke when South Africans are waiting for the President to impart information and somebody takes advantage of it in such a manner. We use multiple channels of communication. For the media it could be the presidency media group on social media we also post on the presidency account. Those are the authoritative sources of information from the presidency,” she’s told SABC News.
In the video below, Presidency’s Khusela Diko chats to SABC News on this:
The fake statement had claimed that the address follows a number of meetings of the Cabinet, the National Coronavirus Command Council and the Presidential Coordinating Council. It cited the suspension of alcohol sales as one of the reasons that necessitated the address.
Fake news is illegal in South Africa according to the LCOVID-19 regulations. Government has urged South Africans to verify any information they receive on the pandemic before sharing it and report fake news through the Real411 website: www.real411.org(link is external) or the Whatsapp line 067 966 4015.
In the video below, Western Cape man appears in court for spreading fake news:
