Does SA have the largest private security industry in the world?
Which country has the largest private security industry in the world? South Africa ranks high, according to available data, but doesn’t bag the top spot.
incorrect
Reports: South Africa
misleading
Can you really pass matric with a 30% average? The claim is misleading
Do you “only need 30% to pass matric” in South Africa? It is a claim you hear every year at this time and one that has been given credence on social media and by some academics and politicians. But the claim is misleading. Here’s why.
checked
2014 in review: Ebola, Boko Haram, elections and dodgy data
From the Boko Haram insurgency and the nightmare of Ebola, to quack cures and dodgy data, Africa Check fact-checked dozens of claims in several African countries this year.
checked
2014 in review: A turbulent year in South African politics
It has been a stormy year in South African politics. We look back at our fact-checks of dodgy data, political spin, false claims, bogus qualifications and a bizarre conspiracy.
exaggerated
Do prisoners have access to better medical facilities than the public?
South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Thabang Makwetla has said that correctional facilities in South Africa are not the “disease-infested”, poorly serviced centres of public perception. Africa Check investigated the claim.
exaggerated
Does South Africa face an electricity grid collapse?
Will South Africa’s electricity grid collapse, plunging the country into weeks of darkness? Experts say it is possible, but unlikely.
unproven
Are there 70-million people in South Africa? The claim is unsubstantiated
South Africa’s last census estimated that there were 52-million people in South Africa. But recent newspaper reports cited claims by an academic that as many as 20-million people were not counted. The claim is unsubstantiated.
incorrect
Nigeria does generate more electricity now than it did 15 years ago
An opposition candidate recently claimed Nigeria generates less electricity now than it did at the end of military rule. The ruling party challenged observers to check the facts. Africa Check did, and found he was wrong.
incorrect
Are 37.5% of jobless young S. Africans black women, and 31.5% white men?
The South African government recently claimed that young black women make up 37.5% of unemployed South Africans aged 15 to 34, and white men 31.5%. But it is really 49.1% and 1.1%.
unproven
Is a child raped every three minutes in South Africa? The data is flawed
Is a child raped every three minutes in South Africa? The claim has been doing the rounds since 2009 but the data is flawed.