The South African government has welcomed the arrest of a 55-year-old male suspect for allegedly circulating a misleading video clip on COVID-19 test kits.
The suspect appeared before a Western Cape court on Tuesday.
In a statement, government said the suspect has been charged in terms of the Disaster Management Act Regulation 11(5)(c)m], which prohibits the publication of information through any medium, including social media, with the intention to deceive people on government measures to address COVID-19.
Government reiterated that all testing kits and other equipment used by the Department of Health and the relevant medical institutions are of high standard, which has been approved by the South African Bureau of Standards.
“Disinformation is unacceptable and dangerous to our society. Such acts should be condemned by all South Africans, who remain committed to fighting the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. All of us have a responsibility to desist from peddling fake news,” said government in a statement.
Government Communications (GCIS) — in collaboration with key leading social media platforms — continues to work towards curbing disinformation practices within its public information systems.
“We call on communities to work with government and report any person who misleads the public with the wrong information.
“Help combat COVID-19 and combat fake information and misinformation by reporting to Real411.org,” said government.
Reliable and trustworthy information on COVID-19 can be accessed and verified from government and other sources, including media platforms such as www.sanews.gov.za; www.gov.za/Coronavirus; www.health.gov.za; www.nicd.ac.za.
Any suspicious and fake news can be reported to https://real411.org.za.
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