Will 74,400 women be raped this August in South Africa?
Rape advocacy campaign Blow the Whistle says every 36 seconds someone is raped in SA and therefore 74,400 women will be raped in August. But is it accurate?
misleading
Reports: South Africa
incorrect
Nope, Nkandla’s ‘mermaids’ are actually from Hollywood
There may be a lot of controversy surrounding President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla home, but mermaids found in the so-called firepool can be excluded.
checked
How many professors are there in SA?
A recent claim that there are only 34 female professors in South Africa raised further questions about the total number of professors in the country, their race and gender. We looked at the data.
incorrect
Do a third of SA women have a baby by 19?
A health department official has claimed that a third of South African women have a child by 19. The claim is based on data from 1998. Does it hold true?
correct
Yes, South Africa’s new police minister does have a master’s degree
A Democratic Alliance MP has claimed that South Africa’s new police minister dropped out of high school and has “no further education”. Only part of the claim is true.
mostly-correct
Do a third of South Africans really suffer from mental illnesses?
A news report in South Africa has stated that a third of South Africans suffer from mental illnesses. But the claim is not entirely accurate.
mostly-correct
Are electricity tariffs in Nigeria really the lowest in Africa?
The Nigerian newspaper Vanguard recently reported that Nigeria’s electricity tariff is the “lowest in Africa”. Is this true? And can electricity tariffs be compared across African countries?
incorrect
Have South Africans paid up R238bn in fuel levies in 6 years? Not if you do the sums
The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) have made various claims about fuel levy figures for recent years. But they are out by huge margins.
unproven
Is heroin use highest in Mpumalanga and Limpopo? More data is needed
Recent news reports suggested that Mpumalanga and Limpopo have the highest heroin use in South Africa. But the data used only relates to admitted patients.
checked
SONA unemployment claims unpacked
Did the facts about unemployment in South Africa get sidelined during the debate that followed President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address? We took a look at the claims and counter-claims.