KWAZULU-Natal Acting Premier Ravi Pillay has warned citizens not to fall prey to the many fake reports that are currently circulating on social media about attacks on foreign nationals.

Pillay said the South African Police Services (SAPS) had warned that most of the alleged attack messages, videos and pictures circulating are either fake or old.

In a statement on Thursday, he said that apart from incidents involving the torching of trucks, no other incidents had been confirmed to have taken place in the province.

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The provincial government has nonetheless been assured by SAPS that they remain on high alert to respond swiftly to any situation.

“KZN has a strong record in strengthening social cohesion. The provincial government urges the people of KwaZulu-Natal to continue to work together for peace and unity. Violence destroys progress, impacts negatively upon the development of humanity as a whole and also retards economic growth,” Pillay said.

Police say the false stories and visuals on social media only sought to perpetuate intolerance among residents, to instill fear and to stir up further violence and urged social media users to utilise the SAPS social media platforms and website to get factual updates or to verify certain information.

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