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Africa Check

Do 200 000 abortions – many a ‘repeat’ – take place in SA each year?

Do 200 000 abortions – many a ‘repeat’ – take place in SA each year?

5th June 2018 An MP seeking to introduce changes to South African abortion law claimed 200 000 abortions took place each year, many of them “repeats”. Official... 

Buhari’s 2018 Democracy Day speech: 7 main claims under scrutiny

Buhari’s 2018 Democracy Day speech: 7 main claims under scrutiny

30th May 2018 President Muhammadu Buhari gave his second Democracy Day speech on 29 May 2018 to commemorate Nigeria’s return to civil rule in 1999. Buhari... 

Health minister quoted outdated TB stats for Nigeria, South Africa

Health minister quoted outdated TB stats for Nigeria, South Africa

23rd May 2018 Nigeria’s fight against tuberculosis (TB) suffered a setback when a laboratory that analysed TB samples burned down in March 2018. Nigeria’s junior... 

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Claim that malaria kills 756,000 Nigerian children each year incorrect

Claim that malaria kills 756,000 Nigerian children each year incorrect

16th May 2018 Malaria is rife in Nigeria where about a quarter of global malaria deaths occur annually. But does it take the lives of over 756 000 Nigerian... 

Yes, South Africa spends as much on VIP protection & security as on land reform

Yes, South Africa spends as much on VIP protection & security as on land reform

9th May 2018 Compensation for land has “never in fact been prioritised in national budgets previously”, Gwen Ngwenya, the head of policy for the Democratic... 

Uhuru Kenyatta’s 2018 State of The Nation Address fact-checked

Uhuru Kenyatta’s 2018 State of The Nation Address fact-checked

3rd May 2018 Following a drawn-out re-election in 2017 Uhuru Kenyatta is keen on refocusing the national agenda on development. His national address looked... 

Validating ‘the truth’ about SA’s education system

Validating ‘the truth’ about SA’s education system

25th April 2018 A South African Twitter account promises to “tell you the truth, no matter how hard it is to accept”. But are the education claims @Sowellnomics... 

No way to tell that 70% of Nigerian inmates ‘have never been convicted’

No way to tell that 70% of Nigerian inmates ‘have never been convicted’

24th April 2018 Nigerian prisoners serving time in the UK may be deported home to finish their sentences in a new 112-bed wing of the Kirikiri prison complex in... 

Do 1-in-5 Nigerian adults suffer from long-term depression? World Bank revises brief

Do 1-in-5 Nigerian adults suffer from long-term depression? World Bank revises brief

16th April 2018 Alarmed about what it said were rising suicides in Africa’s most populous country, a national newspaper in Nigeria attributed it to every fifth... 

Do South Africans each guzzle 235 litres of water per day?

Do South Africans each guzzle 235 litres of water per day?

13th April 2018 Debating South Africa’s 2018 State of the Nation address, president of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Parks Tau noted that... 

South African road agency gets traffic deaths stat wrong

South African road agency gets traffic deaths stat wrong

12th April 2018 Road safety receives particular attention from South African authorities during the holiday period and this Easter was no different. In a social... 

SA’s serial murder & rape ‘ranking’ not supported by data

SA’s serial murder & rape ‘ranking’ not supported by data

10th April 2018 South Africa’s last forensic psychologist has resigned from the police, leaving law enforcement unable to quickly identify serial crime offenders,... 

Nigeria spends 5 times less per person on healthcare than SA – not 7

Nigeria spends 5 times less per person on healthcare than SA – not 7

6th April 2018 The Nigerian government has a “poor attitude” towards financing healthcare, a national newspaper stated recently. To make its case, it compared... 

SA received R6.1-billion in 2017 from US – not R300-billion, as DA mayor claimed

SA received R6.1-billion in 2017 from US – not R300-billion, as DA mayor claimed

3rd April 2018 South Africa should be wary of losing a major “blesser”, a South African mayor has warned. Executive mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Athol Trollip,... 

Are Nigerian immigrants top of the class in the US?

Are Nigerian immigrants top of the class in the US?

27th March 2018 US president Donald Trump is misinformed about Africans, said a group that claims to represent the interests of the Nigerian diaspora.   The... 

Is Nigeria’s unemployment rate 18.8%, as widely tweeted?

Is Nigeria’s unemployment rate 18.8%, as widely tweeted?

8th March 2018 When an account called Spectator Index tweeted that Nigeria’s unemployment rate was 18.8%, some expressed doubt. “That Nigeria figure is... 

Are more than a quarter of Nigerian women still subjected to genital mutilation?

Are more than a quarter of Nigerian women still subjected to genital mutilation?

27th February 2018 The harmful traditional practice of female genital mutilation is still an accepted part of many Nigerian cultures. Reporting on the threat to... 

Verifying key claims in SA’s 2018 State of the Nation address debate

Verifying key claims in SA’s 2018 State of the Nation address debate

20th February 2018 South Africa’s parliament squeezed in the debate on the State of the Nation address as well as the president’s reply before the budget speech is... 

Fact-checked: Pres Cyril Ramaphosa’s first-ever State of the Nation Address

Fact-checked: Pres Cyril Ramaphosa’s first-ever State of the Nation Address

19th February 2018 New South African president Cyril Ramaphosa was afforded calm and plenty of cheers as he delivered his first state of the nation address. Did he... 

Does Nigeria have 23% of world’s malaria cases, as a major insecticide maker claimed?

Does Nigeria have 23% of world’s malaria cases, as a major insecticide maker claimed?

7th February 2018 In recent years, major insecticide brand Mortein is highly visible in anti-malaria campaigns in Nigeria. It often partners with state governments... 

Zuma’s broken promise: Mpumalanga high court in SA not yet completed

Zuma’s broken promise: Mpumalanga high court in SA not yet completed

6th February 2018 The State of the Nation addresses involves reflection on government’s achievements: how many households have been connected to electricity or how... 

No evidence that a child is kidnapped every 30 seconds in South Africa

No evidence that a child is kidnapped every 30 seconds in South Africa

1st February 2018 A picture of a young child, shoved into a box with her mouth duct-taped shut, accompanies a terrifying viral post shared on Facebook. “STOP HUMAN... 

Did ‘at least 50,000’ Nigerians die from terrorism in 2017?

Did ‘at least 50,000’ Nigerians die from terrorism in 2017?

25th January 2018 Attacks linked to Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria have claimed more than 120 lives this year, sparking reprisal attacks in what is seen as a struggle... 

Yes, education & jobs ‘belong to same WhatsApp group’, as SA’s Malema said

Yes, education & jobs ‘belong to same WhatsApp group’, as SA’s Malema said

25th January 2018 Reiterating his party’s support for free higher education, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters told supporters that “education and... 

ANC job creation boast ignores SA’s increased unemployment rate

ANC job creation boast ignores SA’s increased unemployment rate

18th January 2018 In one of his first duties as newly-elected president of the African National Congress (ANC), Cyril Ramaphosa gave the party’s traditional “January... 

Has Nigeria’s president not built even a nursery school, as Jonathan aide claimed?

Has Nigeria’s president not built even a nursery school, as Jonathan aide claimed?

16th January 2018 Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari has not built a single institution of learning, a former aide to his predecessor recently tweeted this to his... 

Do just 700 000 public workers gobble up half of Kenya’s taxes, as Ruto said?

Do just 700 000 public workers gobble up half of Kenya’s taxes, as Ruto said?

14th December 2017 Kenya’s public wage bill is stubbornly defying government efforts to rein it in, a frustrated-sounding Kenyan deputy president William Ruto said.... 

Handwashing 101: Dettol’s disease-busting claims under the microscope

Handwashing 101: Dettol’s disease-busting claims under the microscope

11th December 2017 When we talk about the spread of disease, coughs and sneezes immediately come to mind. Yet one of the major ways diseases spread happens when we... 

#5facts: Water in South Africa

#5facts: Water in South Africa

7th December 2017 While residents in South Africa’s economic capital of Johannesburg seek shelter from current rains, Cape Town residents are being pressured to... 

Hit or miss? Taking stock of 5 claims in Buhari’s 2018 budget speech

Hit or miss? Taking stock of 5 claims in Buhari’s 2018 budget speech

30th November 2017 Nigeria’s lawmakers are debating President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2018 spending plan. Buhari unveiled his proposed budget in early November 2017, as he... 

Anti-poverty group misleads with patchwork of data on women’s education in Africa

Anti-poverty group misleads with patchwork of data on women’s education in Africa

27th November 2017 To highlight the difficulties women worldwide face in trying to get an education, anti-poverty campaign group ONE recently published a report... 

SA billboard likely understates child ‘hunger’ deaths

SA billboard likely understates child ‘hunger’ deaths

8th November 2017 South Africa’s national airline is robbing South Africans of resources that could be put to better use, the country’s Democratic Alliance (DA)... 

Yes, SA has less water per person than Botswana & Namibia

Yes, SA has less water per person than Botswana & Namibia

3rd November 2017 Writing about the impact of invasive alien plants on South Africa’s waterways, a local news site recently reported that the country has “less water... 

Does Nigeria have the most people with diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa?

Does Nigeria have the most people with diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa?

2nd November 2017 Diabetes is a growing concern for Nigeria, a drug multinational executive said ahead of a recent summit on the chronic disease in Lagos. “About... 

FACT-CHECKED: 2 claims about slavery & ‘child prostitutes’ in SA

FACT-CHECKED: 2 claims about slavery & ‘child prostitutes’ in SA

27th October 2017 In mid-October 2017, a “Walk for Freedom” was organised in Cape Town, South Africa, by international anti-slavery organisation A21. Close to 1,000... 

Does a Nigerian lawmaker earn more than US President Donald Trump?

Does a Nigerian lawmaker earn more than US President Donald Trump?

20th October 2017 Terming it “strange, unthinkable and very disheartening”, the leader of a Nigerian pro-reform group castigated the “monumental” pay of the... 

#5facts: The sad extent of suicide in South Africa

#5facts: The sad extent of suicide in South Africa

17th October 2017 A 19-year-old woman reportedly jumped to her death in the South African suburb of Braamfontein. Media reports suggest that the university student... 

No way to verify whether 80% of same-sex marriages in SA are by Afrikaans speakers

No way to verify whether 80% of same-sex marriages in SA are by Afrikaans speakers

10th October 2017 More than a decade ago South Africa became the first African country to legalise same-sex marriages. But the bulk of these weddings take place... 

Do Nigeria’s Yoruba people have the world’s highest twin birth rate? (And are yams to blame?)

Do Nigeria’s Yoruba people have the world’s highest twin birth rate? (And are yams to blame?)

6th October 2017 Social media is full of interesting or quirky “facts” about Africa. Twitter account Africa Facts added one to the mix when it tweeted a claim about... 

Do South African women earn 27% less than men?

Do South African women earn 27% less than men?

28th September 2017 “Women earn 27% less than men,” the South African distributor of Korean car maker Hyundai recently tweeted. Based on this disparity, Hyundai South... 

Did historic court ruling wipe out nearly $1-billion from Kenya’s stock exchange?

Did historic court ruling wipe out nearly $1-billion from Kenya’s stock exchange?

20th September 2017 The surprise decision by Kenya’s top court to annul the presidential election cost the stock market billions of shillings, deputy president William... 

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