What's Crap on WhatsApp?

In this episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?”, we look at four viral claims:

Reports of more deaths of South African children from spaza shop poisonings are not true, ignore engagement bait. https://bit.ly/sa_poisonings

Can dried pawpaw seeds cure fibroids? Of course not. https://bit.ly/fibroids_remedy

ZOMBIE CLAIM: Drug dealers aren’t trying to lure kids with ‘strawberry meth’. https://bit.ly/strawberry_drugs

Has South African president Cyril Ramaphosa been arrested in Nigeria? No! https://bit.ly/ramaphosa_arrest

Your friends and family can sign up for our show! Tell them to save our number (+27 82 709 3527) and send us a WhatsApp message to confirm. You can send us any WhatsApp message that you need fact-checked! Forward videos, pictures and links to this number.

In this episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?”, we look at four viral claims:

Ignore the widely shared claim that 100% of South Africa’s HIV/Aids funding comes from the United States, it’s mostly funded by the SA government. https://bit.ly/hiv_funding

Has South Africa raised its retirement age to 70? Nope. https://bit.ly/sa_retirement

Don’t believe this old claim: South Africa hasn’t barred white-owned farms from agricultural export permits. https://bit.ly/sa_farms

Can hot water infused with cloves provide a wide range of reproductive health benefits? No! https://bit.ly/clove_water

Your friends and family can sign up for our show! Tell them to save our number (+27 82 709 3527) and send us a WhatsApp message to confirm. You can send us any WhatsApp message that you need fact-checked! Forward videos, pictures and links to this number.

In this episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?”, we look at four viral claims:

This widely shared video of a school child assaulted by a teacher is from Nigeria, not South Africa. https://bit.ly/video_nigeria

Does this video show South African firefighters travelling to the United States in January 2025 to assist with wildfire response? Nope! https://bit.ly/southafrica_wildfires

No, China has not declared a state of emergency (https://bit.ly/hmpv_emergency) or closed any schools (https://bit.ly/hmpv_schools) due to HMPV infections.

SCAM: Is Stagwell offering ‘an easy way to earn extra money from home’ in South Africa? No! https://bit.ly/stagwell_money

Your friends and family can sign up for our show! Tell them to save our number (+27 82 709 3527) and send us a WhatsApp message to confirm. You can send us any WhatsApp message that you need fact-checked! Forward videos, pictures and links to this number.

On this episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?” we take a deep dive into three top tools for verifying information in 2025:

 Using Google's About this tool: How and why.

 The Wayback Machine: An internet time capsule.

 InVid and WeVerify’s verification plugin: Speedy video debunks.

Your friends and family can sign up for our show! Tell them to save our number (+27 82 709 3527) and send us a WhatsApp message to confirm. You can send us any WhatsApp message that you need fact-checked! Forward videos, pictures and links to this number.

In our last episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?” for 2024, we look at 3 viral claims and share some tips for avoiding false information this festive season:

Does this video show the pillars of a bridge cut near their bases by “illegal foreigners” in South Africa? No, they’re part of the original design! https://bit.ly/sa_bridge

The South African Police Service has rubbished a “special public announcement for the festive season”. https://bit.ly/saps_statement

Do these dodgy-looking links offer ‘cash prizes’ through the rewards programme of South African retailer Spar? Nope. https://bit.ly/spar_rewards

What should you look out for when debunking crap on WhatsApp this holiday season? We’ve got some tips!

Your friends and family can sign up for our show! Tell them to save our number (+27 82 709 3527) and send us a WhatsApp message to confirm. You can send us any WhatsApp message that you need fact-checked! Forward videos, pictures and links to this number.

In this episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?”, we look at four viral claims:

Was there a nationwide product recall issued for a batch of Yaz Plus, a hormonal birth control pill in South Africa? Surprisingly, yes! https://bit.ly/yaz_southafrica

Don’t try these home remedies for detoxifying heavy metals from the body. https://bit.ly/metals_heavy

Can this “herbal tea” cure glaucoma, cataracts and other eye conditions? Of course not. https://bit.ly/tea_eyes

No, Spar South Africa is still not hiring part-time workers for “this December”. https://bit.ly/hiring_spar

Your friends and family can sign up for our show! Tell them to save our number (+27 82 709 3527) and send us a WhatsApp message to confirm. You can send us any WhatsApp message that you need fact-checked! Forward videos, pictures and links to this number.

In this episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?”, we look at four viral claims:

Did US president-elect Donald Trump make a controversial speech about Africans, called “rise up Africans”? Nope. https://bit.ly/trump_africans

Beware: This child kidnapping warning is a variation on an old hoax. https://bit.ly/child_kidnapping🫚

Can basil leaf and ginger cure all infections? Of course not. https://bit.ly/basilleaf_cure

No, Pepsi has still not been contaminated with HIV. https://bit.ly/pepsi_hiv

Your friends and family can sign up for our show! Tell them to save our number (+27 82 709 3527) and send us a WhatsApp message to confirm. You can send us any WhatsApp message that you need fact-checked! Forward videos, pictures and links to this number.

In this episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?”, we look at four viral claims:

Folic acid is vital during pregnancy, ignore widely shared claims to throw the nutrient “in the trash”. https://bit.ly/folicacid_folate

Do these videos show the secretary general of South Africa’s largest political party, criticising president Cyril Ramaphosa? No! https://bit.ly/fikile_mbalula

Did South African political party the Democratic Alliance hoist a giant Israeli flag on Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain? Nope. https://bit.ly/capetown_flag

Don’t worry, you STILL won’t fall victim to phishing if you share greeting messages on WhatsApp. https://bit.ly/greeting_messages

Your friends and family can sign up for our show! Tell them to save our number (+27 82 709 3527) and send us a WhatsApp message to confirm. You can send us any WhatsApp message that you need fact-checked! Forward videos, pictures and links to this number.

In this episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?”, we look at four viral claims:

Was this photo of a Somali man with a gun taken in South Africa? No! https://bit.ly/somalia_southafrica

No, the South African Social Security Agency is not giving grants to chronically ill South Africans aged over 70. https://bit.ly/sassa_grant

SCAM: ‘Phase 5’ of South Africa’s presidential youth employment initiative is not open. https://bit.ly/sa_phase5

Can this miracle formula cure chronic kidney disease? No, an expert warns people not to look for solutions on social media. https://bit.ly/cure_kidney

Your friends and family can sign up for our show! Tell them to save our number (+27 82 709 3527) and send us a WhatsApp message to confirm. You can send us any WhatsApp message that you need fact-checked! Forward videos, pictures and links to this number.

On this episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?” we take a deep dive into the current health emergency, mpox:

What is mpox? Revisiting what we know about the contagious virus.

Quick debunks of common myths.

Tips on fact-checking during disease outbreaks.

Your friends and family can sign up for our show! Tell them to save our number (+27 82 709 3527) and send us a WhatsApp message to confirm. You can send us any WhatsApp message that you need fact-checked! Forward videos, pictures and links to this number.