An image of a billboard declaring “You can kill whites in South Africa” is doing the rounds on Facebook – with one post of the pic shared more than 4,000 times.
Headed “MURDER MURDER”, it has the African National Congress logo on one side.
“Blacks can do anything!! Contact your nearest ANC office now! You will not be punished. You will get a white farm,” the billboard supposedly says.
The image appears to be a screengrab from Whatsapp. “This billboard was put up in Zimbabwe,” text beneath it reads in Afrikaans. “Send this to everyone you know and make it well known.”
One Facebook user pointed out the “lousy photoshop”. And yes, the billboard’s text has been manipulated. But that hasn’t stopped it being shared thousands of times.
The image also spread to Twitter, which prompted one of our readers to ask us to take a closer look.
Original billboard gave advice to Liberian rape victims
While the billboard itself is real, the text on it has been altered before. Snopes checked it in 2016 after another crude Photoshop job – headed “RAPE RAPE RAPE” – made the rounds claiming “Refugees can do anything!”
This version of the billboard has been circulating on social media since 2008.
It’s a manipulated version of a real billboard erected by Doctors Without Borders in Liberia to give advice to rape victims. The words have been changed, and the skin colour of the victim altered.
The real billboard told rape victims to “seek free treatment immediately” at the Clara Town clinic.
The image encouraging the murder of “whites in South Africa” is a version of the fake image that came before it, and not a very imaginative one at that. “Contact the Finnish Embassy now” became “Contact your nearest ANC office now”.
“Refugees can do anything” became “blacks can do anything”. And a sentence was added to “you will not be punished”.
In 2016, eNCA described the image as “obviously” fake. Three years on, the post is still circulating Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp.
A reverse image search would, within seconds, reveal the origin of the image. It’s a crucial test to make before sharing any sensational image on social media.
Bord wat sê ‘jy kan witmense in Suid-Afrika doodmaak’ opgemaak
ʼn Foto van ʼn advertensiebord met die woorde “Jy kan witmense in Suid-Afrika doodmaak”, doen die rondtes op Facebook – een plasing van die foto is al meer as 4,000 keer gedeel.
Die opskrif is “MOORD MOORD”, en dit het die logo van die African National Congress aan die een kant.
Blykbaar sê die bord: “Swartmense kan enigiets doen!! Kontak nou jou naaste ANC-kantoor! Jy sal nie gestraf word nie. Jy sal ʼn wit plaas kry.”
Dit lyk asof die boodskap ʼn Whatsapp-skermgreep is. Die teks onderaan sê in Afrikaans: “Hierdie borde is in Zimbabwe opgesit!! Stuur dit aan almal wat jul ken oor die wereld en maak dit oral bekend!!”
Een Facebook-gebruiker het opgemerk dat die “Photoshop-verandering van swak gehalte” is. En ja, die advertensiebord se teks is verander. Tog is dit duisende kere gedeel.
Die foto is ook op Twitter versprei, wat een van ons lesers laat vra het dat ons ondersoek moet instel.
Werklike bord op slagoffers van verkragting gemik
Die advertensiebord bestaan wel, maar die teks daarop is verander. Snopes het dit in 2016 ondersoek ná nog ʼn swak Photoshop-verandering met die opskrif “VERKRAGTING VERKRAGTING VERKRAGTING” die rondtes gedoen het. Toe is beweer: “Vlugtelinge mag enigiets doen!”
Hierdie weergawe van die advertensiebord word al sedert 2008 op sosiale media versprei.
Dit is ʼn gedokterde weergawe van ʼn werklike advertensiebord wat in Liberië opgesit is deur Dokters Sonder Grense om slagoffers van verkragting raad te gee. Die woorde is verander en so ook die velkleur van die slagoffer.
Die werklike advertensiebord het vir slagoffers van verkragting gesê om “onmiddellik gratis behandeling” by die Clara Town-kliniek te kry.
Die bord wat die moord op “witmense in Suid-Afrika” aanmoedig, is ʼn weergawe van hierdie gedokterde voorganger en is nie juis ʼn indrukwekkende poging nie. “Kontak nou die Finse ambassade” het geword “Kontak nou jou naaste ANC-kantoor”.
“Vlugtelinge kan enigiets doen”, het geword “swartmense kan enigiets doen”. En ʼn sin is bygevoeg wat lees: “Jy sal nie gestraf word nie.”
In 2016 het eNCA die foto as “vanselfsprekend” vals beskryf. Drie jaar later word dit egter nog steeds op Facebook, Twitter en Whatsapp versprei.
ʼn Omgekeerde foto-soektog sal, binne sekondes, die oorsprong van die foto wys. Dit is ʼn noodsaaklike toets om te doen voordat jy enige sensasionele foto’s op sosiale media deel.
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