October 19, 2022
Nigeria: No, Nigeria Ruling Party's Presidential Candidate Bola Tinubu Has Not Pulled Out of Race
IN SHORT: We've already seen plenty of misinformation circulating on social media in Nigeria since presidential hopeful Bola Tinubu entered the race on the governing party ticket… Read more »
Nigeria: No, Ruling Party Campaign Spokesperson Did Not Give Nigerians the Middle Finger On National TV
IN SHORT: A screenshot shared on social media in Nigeria appears to show a prominent politician giving Nigerians "the finger". But Festus Keyamo wasn't deliberately being rude in… Read more »
October 17, 2022
Africa: Visa Sponsorships for Jobs in Australia? No, Website Just Another Scam
IN SHORT: A website shared across African social media promises an easy and quick road to visa sponsorship in the affluent country of Australia. But it's a scam and could be trying… Read more »
October 12, 2022
Nigeria: No Evidence Nigeria's Main Opposition Party Is Paying Voters to Support Its 2023 Presidential Candidate
IN SHORT: Text messages circulating in Nigeria promise cash in return for voting for the main opposition party's presidential candidate in the 2023 elections. But, like previous… Read more »
October 10, 2022
South Africa: Thousands of Migrants Have Jobs in Eskom, Vodacom and Govt? No, Viral Message Plain Wrong
Harmful rumours about migrants from other African countries get attention on social media in South Africa. One recent claim about the jobs they hold is wildly inflated. Read more »
October 07, 2022
South Africa: South Africa's Ruling Party Bigwig Kgalema Motlanthe Apologised for Slapping Provincial Party Structures On the Wrists? No, Viral Screenshot Fake
IN SHORT: A screenshot circulating online claims a top official from the African National Congress has apologised for comments made around the announcement of preferred candidates… Read more »
September 29, 2022
Nigeria: Factsheet - What You Need to Know About Nigeria's Pivotal 2023 General Elections
The country has tens of millions of voters. There's a possibility of a run-off. And victorious candidates will have a full in-tray. We bring you up to speed on one of Africa's most… Read more »
September 28, 2022
Nigeria: Beware of Scam! Nigeria's Central Bank Does Not Have an Investment Platform
IN SHORT: A number of Facebook pages claim to offer investment services under the name of the Central Bank of Nigeria. But beware! The central bank has distanced itself from all of… Read more »
September 23, 2022
South Africa: Beware of Jobs Advertised By Facebook Page Jobs Updates
IN SHORT: A Facebook page lists dozens of employment opportunities across South Africa. But it's not authorised to advertise the jobs and job seekers should be careful of job scams… Read more »
Kenya: Beware of Facebook Account Impersonating Kenyan President William Ruto and Making False Promises
IN SHORT: A Facebook page using William Ruto's name and photos is promising cash handouts in return for personal details. But the page is impersonating the Kenyan president and the… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya's Former President Kenyatta Arriving in London for Queen Elizabeth's Funeral? No, Photo From 2020
IN SHORT: The photo actually shows Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya's president from 2013 to 2022, arriving at a reception for heads of state during the 2020 UK-Africa Investment Summit in… Read more »
September 21, 2022
Kenya: Yes, Quote Accurate, but Beware of Facebook Page Impersonating Kenya's Ramogi TV
IN SHORT: The 2022 electoral duel between Kenya's two largest parties went right down to the wire. A meeting between two of the presidential hopefuls was therefore newsworthy. But… Read more »
South Africa: No, Photos Don't Show Zimbabweans Smuggling Medication From South Africa
IN SHORT: Photos of medication have been shared widely on social media in South Africa, with the claims the drugs were obtained under false pretences for free in South Africa to be… Read more »
Kenya: No, Kenya's Isiolo MP Not Giving Away 500 Motorcycles - Beware of Imposter Facebook Account
IN SHORT: Hundreds of thousands of young people in Kenya are employed on motorcycles. This is why an alleged giveaway of motorcycles by a legislator, as claimed in a Facebook post,… Read more »
September 20, 2022
Uganda: No, Newspaper Didn't Report That First Family Hired Assassins to Kill Speaker of Parliament
IN SHORT: Uganda has recently been gripped by an alleged plot to assassinate the speaker of parliament. But a national newspaper did not report that the president's family was… Read more »
Africa: No, Covid Vaccines Don't Cause Body to Produce Toxic Spike Proteins That Cause Cancer
IN SHORT: A US doctor, who has previously made untrue claims about Covid-19 and vaccines, is on thin ice in saying the vaccines make your body produce a "toxin" spike protein which… Read more »
September 14, 2022
Nigeria: Ruling Party Chiefs Fall Flat With TV Claims About the Economy
The All Progressives Congress hopes to retain power in February polls. But several claims recently made by top party leaders didn't add up. Read more »
September 09, 2022
Africa: A Cover Girl? Not So Fast. How a Fact-Checker Almost Got Scammed and How You Can Avoid a Similar Fate
At Africa Check we're no strangers to uncovering scams. We've written extensively about job scams, conference scams, medical scams and even took a deep dive into a particularly… Read more »
September 07, 2022
Nigeria: Fact-Checking Four Claims About Antenatal Care and Pregnancy-Related Deaths in Nigeria
A doctor in northern Nigeria says fewer than 60% of pregnant women in the country visit a clinic for vital pre-birth care. We examine four claims in his interview with Punch… Read more »
September 05, 2022
South Africa: Number of Police Is Declining, but Minister Gets Figures Wrong - And What They Represent
While briefing the press on 2022's first quarter crime statistics, police minister Bheki Cele exaggerated how many police officers had left the force in the past decade. What else… Read more »
September 01, 2022
Nigeria: Ahead of Major #NigeriaDecides2023 Elections, Country's Fact-Checkers Write Open Letter to Politicians
As the election campaigns officially start in Nigeria, a coalition of its fact-checkers is asking politicians to reject misinformation and promote evidence-based public debate. Read more »
August 30, 2022
Nigeria: No, CNN's Brianna Keilar Didn't Name Her Son After Nigerian Presidential Candidate Peter Obi
Brianna Keilar, an anchor at the US cable news network CNN, has named her son after Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi. That's the claim in a message doing the rounds on… Read more »
August 25, 2022
South Africa: No Publicly Available Data Supports Claim That 80% of Women Who Give Birth At South African Hospital Are Undocumented Zimbabweans
In August 2022 Phophi Ramathuba, the government's head of health in South Africa's Limpopo province, caused a stir when she was recorded confronting a Zimbabwean national for… Read more »
Nigeria: No Evidence Presidential Candidate Abubakar Said He Can't Campaign in South East Because of Rival Peter Obi
"Peter Obi is giving me worries, I can't even campaign in south East again because he has taken over." That's a quote by Nigerian presidential candidate for the People's Democratic… Read more »
August 24, 2022
Africa: No, Africa Isn't the Largest Continent but Its Depiction On Popular Maps Is Misleading
"The madness of Colonialists!" begins a quote published in a Facebook post on 17 August 2022. Read more »