DA condemns ‘fake’ Facebook post on informal settlement in Pretoria
According to the Facebook post, police confiscated 200 food parcels that were meant to be distributed to residents of the Bon Accord informal settlement and that the donor was told not to distribute food parcels to “white people”.
The DA condemns a Facebook post about food parcels being confiscated by police at Bon Accord informal settlement in the north of Pretoria.
According to the Facebook post, police confiscated 200 food parcels that were meant to be distributed to residents and that they informed the donor not to distribute food parcels to “white people”.
“This post is incorrect, misleading, racist, slanderous and the person who posted it on a public platform is spreading fake news,” said DA Adriana Randall MPL.
“The donor was not allowed to distribute food parcels in the area because she did not have a permit. Furthermore, the police did not confiscate any food parcels from the donor.”
Randall said the party has been engaging with the police, who were working to get a permit for the donor so that she is able to distribute food parcels in that area.
He urged all citizens to be responsible by verifying any information before posting it on social media as spreading fake news was a criminal offence.
“Spreading fake news is against the Covid-19 disaster management regulation 11 (5) which prohibits and criminalises the spreading of fake news pertaining to efforts to combat this deadly pandemic,” he said.
“We urge people to refrain from spreading fake news and to only share facts coming from reputable sources.”
He said the spreading of fake news would not be tolerated and those that break this law will face the consequences.
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