IN SHORT: A widely reposted screenshot of an X post about "digital ID" and "medical ID" came from a parody account. It did not come from Western Cape premier Alan Winde, and there is no such thing as a "digital ID" or "medical ID" in South Africa.
After no single party secured a clear majority in South Africa's 29 May 2024 elections, the African National Congress (ANC) invited other parties to form a coalition government, which they have called the government of national unity.
The ANC won 40.2% of the national vote and the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) 21.8%. The newcomer uMkhonto weSizwe Party, which declined to join the coalition government, came third with 14.6%.
The DA also retained control of the Western Cape province.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his new cabinet on 30 June, with 20 of the 32 ministerial posts going to the ANC, six to the DA and six to smaller parties.
The DA's Leon Schreiber was appointed minister of home affairs, a national department that maintains the population register and issues identity documents.
Days later, a screenshot of an odd X post, apparently by Alan Winde, the DA premier of the Western Cape, went viral on social media.
"The DA now controls the Dept. of Home Affairs," it reads. "Get your Digital & Medical ID at these Bank Branches. We will be prepared when the next pandemic arrives."
It appears to have been posted on the X account @AlanWinde666, with the name "Premier Alan Winde", and its profile pic shows the premier. It links to an article on banks that process ID applications.
The screenshot has been posted with - and has attracted - outraged comments. These include:
- "The DA is selling us out to the Globalists ..."
- "The DA is part of the New World Order [...] Things are going to get very tough by 2025 more and more freedoms being taken away."
- "This is the same guy who was forcing vaccine down the throats of people of western cape. Now he already know there is another pandemic coming [...]"
- "What is a Medical ID? And the 666 on Alan's name. A coincidence too neh? June is in July with this GNU gig! [...] COVIS was a test phase for Hell on Earth?"
- "When we said these things will happen they thought we were smoking dirty socks [...] that's your next plandemic ... New world order loading ..."
But did the DA's Western Cape premier really post this?
No digital or medical IDs in South Africa
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The handle of Winde's verified X account is simply @alanwinde, not @AlanWinde666. The @AlanWinde666 handle belongs to an account named, in full, Premier Alan Winde Western Cape Parody.
In the screenshot, the words "Western Cape Parody" are covered by the follow button.
The account's bio reads: "Sith Lord. Woke Dick-tator of WEFtern Cape DICTATORIAL Alliance. Free PALPATINE. Only an unelected one world government can save us!" It then adds: "Parody."
Its banner is made up of images of the DA's name with "un" added to it, to read "Undemocratic Alliance". The images include the URL for YesCape.org, a website that promotes the secession of the Western Cape from South Africa.
And the account's previously pinned post reads, in part: "We take orders from our globalist masters (WEF and WHO), support lockdowns and vaxxine mandates, promote gender fluidity in your kids, back Ukraine (US proxy wars), promote the climate hoax and will do anything to avoid referendums."
The account @AlanWinde666 published the X post in the viral screenshot on 2 July. It has been viewed over 13,600 times - and attracted many more outraged comments.
South Africa has two types of identity documents: the old green ID book and the newer smart ID card. There is no such thing as a South African "digital ID" or "medical ID".
Parody and satire are meant to poke fun at political and other opponents, but not to mislead about what those opponents say. And when parody or satire is shared as fact, it becomes disinformation.
