In September 2019, xenophobic unrest flared up in parts of South Africa’s Gauteng province.
But a number of videos and pictures circulating online, supposedly showing the violence, are unrelated to the events.
A video posted on Twitter on 2 September shows a burning four-storey building with people climbing, jumping and falling from the top floor. A large crowd is gathered behind two fire trucks on the street below.
“Situation right now in Jozi,” the user cautions. “Stay away from Bree street, Small streets guys.” Jozi is slang for Johannesburg.
There are visual clues that suggest the video may not be from Johannesburg. For example, some of the signage on the building is not written in any of South Africa’s 11 official languages. And people in the crowd appear to be mainly of Asian nationality.
We captured a screenshot from the video and searched Google for the image.
The results took us to YouTube, where the same video was posted in May 2019. Included in the title are the words “Gujarat fire accident students”.
A quick Google search for these terms returned an India Today article. The video is from a fire that broke out at a coaching centre in Gujarat, India. - Africa Check
But a number of videos and pictures circulating online, supposedly showing the violence, are unrelated to the events.
A video posted on Twitter on 2 September shows a burning four-storey building with people climbing, jumping and falling from the top floor. A large crowd is gathered behind two fire trucks on the street below.
“Situation right now in Jozi,” the user cautions. “Stay away from Bree street, Small streets guys.” Jozi is slang for Johannesburg.
Fire in Gujarat, India
There are visual clues that suggest the video may not be from Johannesburg. For example, some of the signage on the building is not written in any of South Africa’s 11 official languages. And people in the crowd appear to be mainly of Asian nationality.
We captured a screenshot from the video and searched Google for the image.
The results took us to YouTube, where the same video was posted in May 2019. Included in the title are the words “Gujarat fire accident students”.
A quick Google search for these terms returned an India Today article. The video is from a fire that broke out at a coaching centre in Gujarat, India. - Africa Check
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