POLOKWANE – The police have issued a strong warning about the misuse of social media to spread fake news using the South African Police Service (SAPS) name and logo.

Provincial police commissioner Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe expressed concern over a viral post falsely claiming to represent the police and spreading misleading, sarcastic advice.

The post, designed to look like an official SAPS announcement, joked that people should avoid parties without money for drinks or risk being exploited, suggesting they shouldn’t call the police if this happens. The fake message even claimed: “The SAPS will be busy with important cases”.

Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, SAPS spokesperson, called the post a deliberate attempt to bring the police into disrepute and confirmed that the Cyber Crime Unit is working hard to track down whoever is behind it.

“We’re taking this very seriously. These faceless individuals think they can get away with tarnishing the SAPS image, but we’re on their trail. Using our logo to share false information is illegal, and they’ll face the full force of the law.”

Mashaba also assured the public that SAPS does not support the ridiculous claims in the fake communique.

“We’d never encourage such behaviour, and we’re always here to respond to any reported crimes,” he said.

The police are urging everyone to be responsible on social media and avoid sharing unverified information.

If you come across fake posts or know who might be responsible, please report it immediately.