False: A viral video on social media claims that the lockdown situation in South Africa has collapsed and people are out on the streets due to hunger.

By: Harshitha B
May 15 2020

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An old video from 2018 has been shared with a false message that people in South Africa were looting stores amidst lockdown due to lack of food.A video has been shared on youtube in April 2020 with a caption that people looting food stores amidst the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa. The same video was posted on Twitter back in 2018 showing that a protest in Mitchells Plain, South Africa turned violent and that the protesters started looting and vandalizing the grocery stores. News 24 had reported that the protests in May 2018 had turned violent after the officials had demolished informal structures that were built on private land. However, this video has no link to the COVID-19 lockdown or the lack of food availability in South Africa. An old video dating back to May 2018 has been falsely shared on the social media platform. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.