IN SHORT: A video claiming that Cape Town is officially a province of the US, after South Africa's Democratic Alliance party secured a loan from the "Bezos Foundation", is circulating online. But this claim is false, and the audio shared as evidence has been fabricated.
A video sent to Africa Check on WhatsApp makes the bold claim that "Cape Town is now officially a province of the USA".
Cape Town is a city in South Africa's Western Cape province, a major tourist destination and the country's legislative capital.
The video features text which reads "D.A finally confesses to getting the R50 billion loan they got for selling Cape Town to the USA".
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The Democratic Alliance (DA) is the second-largest political party in South Africa. It governs the country in coalition with the largest party, the African National Congress (ANC), and a number of smaller parties. It is the ruling party in the Western Cape.
A woman's voice in the video says, in part: "Steenhuisen has taken millions and millions of rands worth of loan from the Bezos Foundation in America. And here comes the kicker. What did he give as collateral? The Cape."
It's not entirely clear, as Jeffrey Bezos is not primarily known for having a foundation, but "Bezos Foundation" may refer to the Bezos Family Foundation, a philanthropic organisation started by the Amazon chief executive's parents.
It may also be confusing Bezos with billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who started the Open Society Foundations. Soros is frequently the target of conspiracy theories, often drawing on antisemitic stereotypes.
John Steenhuisen was the leader of the DA until April 2026, when Geordin Hill-Lewis was elected as his successor. Steenhuisen still serves as the country's minister of agriculture.
The same video and claim have been distributed widely elsewhere online, including Facebook, X and TikTok, posted here, here, here and here.
Is it true that Cape Town is now "officially a province of the USA", after the DA took a loan from the "Bezos Foundation"? We checked.
Fake voice note circulating since 2023
A similar claim, that the DA "had leveraged the Western Cape as collateral", was debunked by the party in 2023.
The exact audio from the video above began circulating then, with claims that it was a leaked statement by DA member of parliament Glynnis Breytenbach.
While newer versions share the audio without attributing it to Breytenbach, some include a photo of her, implying that it is her voice.
But according to the DA, the audio was fabricated. Warning social media users to be aware of manipulated content online, the party said: "This very poorly faked nonsense nevertheless influences real people and feeds into a deeply riven society already on edge and suffering severe consequences of bad government."
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In all of the posts Africa Check could find, only the audio clip was shared. We searched the internet for video confirmation that Breytenbach - or someone else - said this but came up empty. In fact, there is no evidence, visual or otherwise, that Breytenbach said these words. If she had, it would have been widely reported.
Recent investment misrepresented
In the video, there appears a screenshot of what seems to be an article posted on the DA's website, with the heading: "DA welcomes Western Cape's R50-billion investment achievement."
This is a genuine article published by the political party on 10 November 2025.
But the article is not about using Cape Town or the Western Cape as collateral for a loan, but rather about the DA securing R50 billion in investments through a summit (roughly US$3 billion at the current exchange rate). It reads:
This week the DA-led Western Cape Government (WCG) secured a stunning R50-billion in new foreign and local investment, as investors recognise that DA policy and DA governance promises growth and return on their investment. This investment windfall came as a result of Premier Alan Winde and Minister Ivan Meyer's "Western Cape Investment Summit."To bring R50-billion into the Western Cape bodes very well for ongoing job-creation, growth of small and medium businesses, and economic opportunities for thousands.
The claim that Cape Town is officially a province of the US is false and should be disregarded.
