What's Crap on WhatsApp?

On this episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?” we look at four claims doing the rounds:

No, this video does not show looting in South Africa by an opposition party to protest the sale of Israeli products. https://bit.ly/southafrica_looting

Does this video show South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa having a ‘chip’ scanned? No, he is having his temperature taken. https://bit.ly/ramaphosa_scan

Is South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa giving away 10GB of data via these links? Of course not. https://bit.ly/ramaphosa_data

No bomb threat: there was no arrest at this South African stadium during the African Football League final. https://bit.ly/stadium_bomb

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On this episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?” we look at four claims doing the rounds:

Did Russian president Vladimir Putin warn the US not to interfere in the Israel-Hamas war? No! https://bit.ly/putin_us

Do antibiotics make you depressed? There’s some link, but social media mangles the facts. https://bit.ly/antibiotics_depressed

Stick to doctor-prescribed TB medication - there is no evidence ‘giant milkweed’ can cure the disease. https://bit.ly/milkweed_tb

No, this video does not show ‘virgin women’ in a slave market ‘somewhere in Africa’. https://bit.ly/virgin_women

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 look at four claims doing the rounds:

Don’t believe this fake post. South African president Ramaphosa did not apologise to ‘the people of Zimbabwe’. https://bit.ly/ramaphosa_zimbabwe

Beware of this dangerous advice! Colloidal silver cannot be used as an antibiotic or HIV medication. https://bit.ly/colloidalsilver_antibiotic

Does this video show a three-storey building collapsing during South Africa’s #CapeStorm? Nope. https://bit.ly/capestorm_video

Does this video show people peeing on an African child in a French village? No. https://bit.ly/african_frenchvillage

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 climate change misinformation:

Has South Africa beat its climate goal through load shedding? https://bit.ly/climate_loadshedding

Climate change denial - watch out for these false claims.

How do we stop it? Tips for spotting and debunking climate misinformation.

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 look at four claims doing the rounds: 

This video of a massive wave crashing into a restaurant is from KwaZulu-Natal, not the Western Cape. https://bit.ly/sa_floodvideo

Can unripe pawpaw cure diabetes, high blood pressure or ulcers? No, be wary of this home remedy. https://bit.ly/pawpaw_benefits

Tedros Ghebreyesus did get vaccinated against Covid-19. Ignore this old video being shared on social media. https://bit.ly/who_covidvaccine

Did McDonald's lose a legal battle with chef Jamie Oliver? Watch out for this zombie claim! https://bit.ly/mcdonalds_oliver

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 look at four claims doing the rounds:

Ignore widely shared videos on WhatsApp and do NOT throw flour on a fire. It is a fuel which can itself catch alight. https://bit.ly/fire_flour

Do you need to take ‘three half minute pauses’ to avoid ‘sudden unexpected death’ when waking up at night? Nope. https://bit.ly/sleep_waking

No, Zoom updates won’t use your data to train artificial intelligence models without an option to opt out. https://bit.ly/zoom_information

Are lemon peels 10,000 times stronger than chemo and can they kill cancer cells? No, these claims are false. https://bit.ly/lemon_benefits

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 look at four claims doing the rounds:

No, this old video doesn’t show South African president Cyril Ramaphosa speaking about ‘farm murders’. https://bit.ly/ramaphosa_video

Will restricting sugar, and drinking hot lemon water or coconut oil make cancer ‘disappear’? No! https://bit.ly/sugar_cancer

Did Russian nuclear bombers land in South Africa ahead of the 2023 Brics summit? No, this video is from 2019. https://bit.ly/southafrica_russia

 No, these photos of an abandoned pool are not from South Africa, it’s an old resort in the United States. https://bit.ly/pool_southafrica

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 look at four claims doing the rounds:

No, depression is not a result of ‘highs’ from certain foods and substances. https://bit.ly/depression_food

Can castor oil break up cancerous breast tumours? Nope, controversial naturopath is wrong again. https://bit.ly/castoroil_tumour

Got a minor burn wound? Don’t use Epsom salts, hold it under running water instead. https://bit.ly/epsomsalt_burn

No, Yoni pearls won’t improve your vagina or cure anything. https://bit.ly/pearls_yoni

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 look at four claims doing the rounds:

Is the northern hemisphere cooling? No, all of the world is warming – and there are higher temperatures in the north. https://bit.ly/northern_cooling

No, more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere won’t increase food production and reducing it won’t lead to a ‘dead planet’. https://bit.ly/carbon_atmosphere

Claims that you should switch off devices to stop body damage due to cosmic rays are still false! https://bit.ly/rays_cosmic

Has South Africa introduced a new basic income grant of R999? Nope, it’s a proposal made by an opposition party. https://bit.ly/income_grant

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 our 100th episode of “What's Crap on WhatsApp?” we take a deep dive into health misinformation:

Can you prevent or cure cancer by “detoxifying” the body or making it less acidic? https://bit.ly/cures_cancer

Trends in health misinformation on What’s Crap on WhatsApp.

Tips and tricks for avoiding dodgy health advice and quack cures.

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.