IN SHORT: Social media users claim that a video of a massive sinkhole was taken at the entrance of a tunnel in Hartbeespoort, a South African town. But this is false – the video shows a 2023 landslide in the Republic of Türkiye.
“Harties se tonnel,” reads Afrikaans text in a message sent to our WhatsApp line, which translates to “Harties tunnel”.
“Harties” is a nickname for Hartbeespoort, a South African town in the North West province, known for its dam and leisure activities.
The message includes a video which shows a massive sinkhole at the mouth of a tunnel through a mountain.
In the video, bits of the road can be seen crumbling into the sinkhole, increasing in size until eventually a large piece of road pulls away.
The same video with the same claim has been shared to Facebook here, here and here.
But what does the video actually show? We checked.
Video shows landslide in Türkiye, not South Africa
The tunnel that the posts would be referring to is the Hartbeespoort dam tunnel which you enter shortly after you cross the dam wall if you are travelling towards the town of Hartbeespoort on Scott St, or the R104 road.
This is where we found the first clue that the claim was false. The viral video shows vegetation on either side of the entrance of the tunnel and what seems to be a flat road.
The Hartbeespoort dam tunnel looks different to this. A Google Maps view of the entrance of the tunnel shows part of a mountain on the left and above with railing on the right. This entrance is closer to the dam wall.
The exit shows continuous mountain on the right and above, with railing on the left. This is closer to the town of Hartbeespoort.
We also found no news articles about such an incident in Hartbeespoort. A sinkhole that size in a popular holiday town would make news headlines in the country.
A Google reverse image search of a snippet of the video led us to various news articles from organisations in Türkiye, also known as Turkey.
The articles, posted in 2023, say the video shows landslides at the entrance to the Darıcabaşı Tunnel on the Black Sea-Mediterranean Road.
The video has been debunked before, when claims circulated that the sinkhole occurred in India.
Tips for spotting video misinformation
Videos showing real events are often shared out of context with the aim of increasing engagement with a social media post or inciting emotional reactions. Here’s how to spot out-of-context content:
- Look for the paper trail: Try to find the origin of an out-of-context video by seeing if it’s previously been debunked by news or fact-checking organisations. A Google search or reverse image search of snippets of the video could lead you straight to the facts.
- Check what search engines reveal: A simple Google search for the claim can be useful. If you search keywords for the claim, but no reputable organisations have reported on the incident, be wary.
- Check for subtle clues: Look for clues in the video, such as road signs, buildings or language, that can give away the location of the video.
- Use mapping tools: Mapping tools like Google Street View can offer imagery of locations, in all directions, which can help you clarify the claim.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
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