South Africa’s Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces have been rocked by days of looting, protests and violence. The immediate cause was demands that former President Jacob Zuma be freed from jail where he is serving a 15 month sentence for contempt of court. 

At least 10 people have been killed and more than 500 people arrested. 

On 12 July 2021 president Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the army would be deployed to help police respond to the violence.

Social media has been flooded with videos claiming to depict the protests. Many of the videos are accurate, showing legitimate news footage and events captured by the public. 

However, Africa Check identified a number of false and misleading videos that are being shared without verification. This has the potential to further stoke unrest and make the job of responders even harder.

To draw attention to this, we fact-check three videos and a voice note. We also provide tips on sorting fact from fiction. 

Water cannon video is from Venezuela

A video shared on Facebook, TikTok and Twitter shows protestors fleeing as police fire tear gas and water cannons. A number of people are blasted off their feet by the force of the water. 

The caption reads: “A water cannon for riots in South Africa.”

Some protestors in the footage were carrying homemade wooden shields painted with yellow, blue and red stripes - much like those on the Venezuelan flag. With that clue, we were able to find footage of Venezuelan protests against the government of Nicolas Maduro in 2017. 

Protestors can be seen carrying homemade shields bearing Venezuelan colours and other symbols used by the protestors, like the red Templars’ Cross. Shields like these also appear in the video shared in South Africa.

The white armoured vehicles of Venezuela’s national guard (the GNB) match those shown in the video. The same distinctive yellow road barriers can be seen in videos of the protests and in the video shared in South Africa.

The video shows protest action in Venezuela more than three years ago.

Tip: Look for clues in the video to verify where it was taken. This can include flags, writing and unique buildings or structures. 

Video of military vehicles is from Covid-19 lockdown

A video posted on Twitter on 12 July 2021 shows brown military vehicles parked on the side of a freeway. 

“Now things are getting interesting,” the caption reads. The user goes on to say that “sheeps will be dealt with by the #SANDF #FreeZumaNow #ZumaUnrest #JacobZuma no thug will be released from prison cause of thugs