Fact check: Was supermarket looted in South Africa during lockdown?
By Satya Priya BN Published on 12 April 2020 6:03 AM GMT
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many countries into lockdown to prevent transmission among citizens. South Africa has also been under lockdown for the past few weeks. The lockdown is due to be lifted in a week.
Under these circumstances, a video showing a mob charging into a super market and looting it is going viral on the internet. A claim, the looting happened during the 21-day lockdown in South Africa accompanies the video.
"We should avoid this kind of situation. Lockdown in south Africa has failed. Looting taking place in super markets."
This video has also been shared as a news article on a website.
https://reporterspressng.com.
https://reporterspressng.com/tag/hungry-south-africans-loots-supermarket-as-21-days-lockdown-collapse-video/
It is also viral on Facebook.
Fact Check:
This claim is FALSE.
A Google search of key frames of the video using Invid tool, we found older versions of the same video published in May 2018 on Youtube. The title of the video is "South Africa, storm a supermarket."
The same video was published in September 2019 with the title "Looting in BP garage Chatsworth, Durban, South Africa"
We also found a longer version of the video uploaded on a Facebook account named CICA - Crime Intelligence & Community Awareness - South Africa with a title Pick n Pay Express at BP Clocktower in Mitchells Plain being looted. WC, Cape Town, Mitchells Plain, C/O Eisleben RD & Lavender, BP Clocktower.
A link to the video on Youtube is as follows:
The incident has also been reported in local websites.
The incident took place in May 2018, when violent protestors ransacked the shops at BP clocktower in Mitchells plain.
The video is more than 2-years-old and is NOT related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been shared with a FALSE claim that the incident happened during the present lockdown.
Hence, the above claim is FALSE.
