Kashifa Sithole

Freelance journalist

Latest fact-checks

Raw eggs won’t save poisoned, convulsing dog – take animal to vet immediately

Raw eggs fed to a poisoned dog will save the animal’s life, claims a message posted on Facebook in South Africa. “Indien jou hond vergiftig is - selfs terwyl hy stuiptrekkings kry- gooi onmiddellik 2 rou eiers in sy keel af met bietjie water,” it reads, in Afrikaans. This roughly t...

Steve Biko

No, Steve Biko didn’t call out Africans for insulting God by ‘emulating’ Arab and European religion and culture

Steve Biko, one of the founders of South Africa’s Black Consciousness movement, said: “As long as Africans emulate the Arabs and Europeans [sic] religion and culture, we insult the God that made us Black.” At least, that’s according to a meme posted on Facebook on 2 March 2021. It shows a...

Fourways

hippo

wildlife

No, #FourwaysHippo not killed in Chartwell, South Africa

#FourwaysHippo started trending on Twitter in South Africa when a hippo was spotted roaming the streets of Chartwell, a community near Fourways in Gauteng, South Africa’s urban province. Hippos are famously dangerous, killing an estimated 500 people in Africa each year. The hippo was f...

No, Pope Francis not arrested

On 9 January 2021, viewers of the Vatican City’s live news feed on YouTube reported there was a brief electricity blackout at the Vatican. The Vatican City is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church and home to Pope Francis, the global head of the church since 2013. Claims that Francis h...

Latest facts

Sex & gender

What proportion of trafficked persons in Nigeria are women?

Source

US Department of State: 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report - Nigeria

Short answer

What proportion of trafficked persons in Nigeria are women?

In 2023, the Nigerian government identified 1,634 victims of trafficking, including 841 victims of sex trafficking, 543 victims of labour trafficking and 250 victims of unspecified forms of trafficking. Of the 841 sex trafficking victims, 763 were women. Of the 543 victims of labour trafficking, 290...

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Health

How many cases of malaria are recorded in Zimbabwe each year?

Source

WHO: Country Disease Outlook ᠆ Zimbabwe

Short answer

How many cases of malaria are recorded in Zimbabwe each year?

The annual number of reported malaria cases in 2021 was 342,543 (at an incidence rate of 21.4 cases per 1000 people), resulting in 876 deaths. Zimbabwe’s malaria incidence rate has fluctuated, but has generally declined since 2015. ...

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Health

How many malaria deaths are recorded in Zimbabwe in a year?

Source

WHO: Country Disease Outlook ᠆ Zimbabwe

Short answer

How many malaria deaths are recorded in Zimbabwe in a year?

The annual number of reported malaria deaths in 2021 was in 876. ...

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Health

How many new HIV infections occur in Zimbabwe each year?

Source

UNDP Zimbabwe: Overview of The HIV Epidemic in Zimbabwe

Short answer

How many new HIV infections occur in Zimbabwe each year?

In Zimbabwe, the number of people becoming infected with HIV each year has fallen by more than half over the past decade. In 2022, about 0.17% of adults in Zimbabwe were infected with HIV, and the number of new cases fell in all age groups. Among adults, the number of new HIV cases fell by 7%, and a...

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Kashifa Sithole

Latest fact-checks

Latest facts

What proportion of trafficked persons in Nigeria are women?

How many cases of malaria are recorded in Zimbabwe each year?

How many malaria deaths are recorded in Zimbabwe in a year?

How many new HIV infections occur in Zimbabwe each year?

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