No, clinical trials have not been completed for potential Russian COVID-19 vaccine
Image courtesy: Twitter Misleading social media posts circulate with claims of Russia having successfully completed clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine. Part of the false claims is the false assertion that the Russian potential vaccine is the first to progress beyond first phase trialing. The false claims have started appearing on Namibian social media and […]
Denis Mukwege resignation not over orders to lie about COVID-19
Screenshot from: kiffasblog.com False quotes on social media state that 2018 Nobel Laureate Denis Mukwege resigned from the DRC’s COVID-19 response team because he was ordered to lie. These claims, which have gone viral across Africa, have infiltrated Namibian social media groups and have been widely shared on Facebook and WhatsApp with the apparent intention […]
International reports mislead about Swapo’s lockdown violation fine
Image courtesy: The Telegraph International media reports falsely state that president Geingob fined all those who attended Swapo’s 60th birthday party. UPDATED: Sections stating that each of the Swapo Party members who had attended the birthday party had paid a fine and a paragraph about information provided by a The Namibian reporter to Namibia Fact […]
Poem minister Shiimi quoted is not from 1819
Photo courtesy: www.eaglefm.com.na A poem that has gone viral in the age of COVID-19 was recited in the budget speech of finance minister Shiimi, who wrongly stated it was from two centuries ago. As he commenced the delivering of his inaugural budget statement in the National Assembly on 27 May 2020, Namibian finance minister Iiipumbu […]
No, Africa is not free, democratic or without war and unrest
Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash President Hage Geingob’s claims on Africa Day are far from the reality about the state of peace, democracy and freedom on the continent. Towards the end of a widely publicised statement on Africa Day, on 25 May 2020, Namibian president Hage Geingob stated: “We truly have much have much […]
No, Namibia is not a ‘drunkard society’
Photo by Dylan de Jonge on Unsplash Namibian police chief Sebastian Ndeitunga’s claims about the levels of alcohol abuse in Namibia are overblown, evidence suggests. A newspaper report on 19 May 2020 quoted inspector-general of the Namibian Police, Sebastian Ndeitunga, saying “Namibia is a “drunkard society”. The report also quoted the police chief stating, about […]
No, there are not 130 000 Chinese living in Namibia
Photo by Henry & Co. on Unsplash The exaggerated number appears in a news report which does not provide evidence for the figure mentioned or its source. The large number cited came up in an article, titled ‘Down and out in Katutura … Chinese duo find going tough‘, in The Namibian newspaper of 28 April […]
Why COVID-19 is not bio-engineered
Photo by CDC on Unsplash But questions remain about its possible origins in a Wuhan lab even as the evidence for such claims remain sketchy at best. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is believed to have first emerged in the Wuhan area of China’s Hubei province sometime in November/December 2019. […]
Madagascan remedy is not a proven COVID-19 cure
Image courtesy: Facebook A remedy touted by the Madagascan president has caused quite a stir but its effectiveness as a COVID-19 treatment remains unconfirmed and people are advised to be cautious of curative claims. Updated on 5 May 2020 to include a statement from the WHO Africa. African social media has gone slightly wild since […]
FALSE: COVID-19 is not airborne and there’s no cure
Image from WhatsApp Hoaxes about COVID-19 continue to circulate and thrive on social media with the latest being false claims that the virus is airborne and that a cure has been discovered. WhatsApp especially has become a hotbed of disinformation around COVID-19 and many of the hoaxes that have virally circulated in other parts of […]