What's Crap on WhatsApp?

On this episode of *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three claims: A graphic warns people not to buy “biscuits called crunches” shipped from South Africa to Nigeria as they have “killed 45 people”. Don’t fall for it - it’s an old hoax!  https://bit.ly/poisonous_biscuits Is there a connection between different major disease outbreaks and US election years, as a photo posted online cl...

On this episode of *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three claims: Does this video show a deadly thermobaric bomb in Ukraine? No, it’s a 2015 chemical explosion in China.  https://bit.ly/ukraine_bomb Does this graphic show “the exact same explosion” in Ukraine, “7 years apart”? No!  https://bit.ly/ukraine_explosion No evidence that Putin said that “there will be no World Cup to...

On this episode of *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three claims: This widely shared highway robbery video is from Botswana, not Uganda or South Africa or even Kenya!  https://bit.ly/highway_robber There is no scientific evidence that a mixture of bitter gourd leaves and snails is a remedy for stroke.  https://bit.ly/snails_remedy No, pomegranate juice alone won’t prevent hear...

Pfizer has NOT warned that the Covid vaccine carries risk of ‘births defects due to genetic manipulation’.  https://bit.ly/vaccine_defect   Typhoid is life-threatening. It cannot be cured with a coconut fibre infusion.  https://bit.ly/typhoid_coconut   The BBC did not say that ‘breathing too many times a day’ increases the risk of heart attack.  https://bit.ly/breathing_at...

On this episode of  “What's Crap on WhatsApp?”  we investigate three claims: No, baking soda is not a miracle cure that treats cancer and kills viruses.  https://bit.ly/bakingsoda_cure Have doctors discovered a link between Covid vaccines and abnormal blood ‘stacking’?  https://bit.ly/blood_stacking A video of tame cheetahs is from a South African conservation centre – not wild...

On this episode of *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three claims: Yes, the person who discovered the medical benefits of hand-washing to prevent disease spread was ‘thrown in a mental institution’. https://bit.ly/handwashing_discoverer   No, Japan didn’t remove its Covid vaccine mandate after placing a myocarditis warning.  https://bit.ly/japan_mandate   No a woman shouti...

On this episode of *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three claims: No, a World Health Organization head didn’t say Covid vaccines kill kids.  https://africacheck.info/vaccine_children Can eating and using various parts of the banana plant protect you against cancer, diabetes, HIV and a multitude of other afflictions? No!  http://africacheck.info/bananas_hiv No, this is not an e...

Since we started “What’s Crap on WhatsApp” we fact-checked more than 177 claims! Here are three of the craziest claims from 2021. Infrared thermometers won’t damage your pineal gland:  https://bit.ly/thermometers_infrared No, there aren’t deadly spiders in South African kettles:  https://bit.ly/kettle_spider   A gemstone bracelet won’t cure diabetes:  https://bit.ly/braceket_di...

On today’s “What's Crap on WhatsApp?” we investigate three viral messages: Will placing onions under your feet cure a cold or flu? Nope.  https://bit.ly/onions_coldandflu There is no evidence that guava leaves or Aidan fruit will affect fertility in women.  https://bit.ly/fuit_fertility Will pawpaw seed cure typhoid fever? No, get a doctor’s prescription for antibiotics instead.  ht...

On today’s *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three viral messages: Is there a visa lottery for Norway? No, websites are part of ‘dangerous’ scam. https://bit.ly/visa_scam   No, there aren’t “hundreds of vacancies'' in South African government jobs. https://bit.ly/sa_vacancies   Is this a herbal treatment for rheumatism? No, ‘The Professor’ gets it wrong again. https://bit.ly/rh...

On today’s “What's Crap on WhatsApp?” we investigate three viral messages: Have South African alcohol retailers been warned of an upcoming December 2021 lockdown? Nope.  https://bit.ly/december_lockdown Video shows electrical substation vandalised in December 2020, not during South Africa's November 2021 blackouts.  https://bit.ly/substation_vandalised Does this video show an oil explosi...

On today’s “What's Crap on WhatsApp?” we investigate three viral messages: 📱 Is the social media platform Facebook about to “close down” as it has become “overpopulated”? Nope. https://bit.ly/facebook_shutdown 🧫 Is there a cure for HIV by Dr Maduike Ezeibe? No, unfortunately there is still no cure for HIV. https://bit.ly/hiv_cure 🇿🇦 This video does not show Zulu people protesting ‘mandatory’ vac...

On today’s “What's Crap on WhatsApp?” we investigate three viral messages:  🧅 Using onion on the scalp could damage hair and doesn’t cure baldness! https://bit.ly/onion_baldness  🙅🏽 Are there 5.6 billion women in the world to just 2.2 billion men? Nope! https://bit.ly/women_to_men   🌍 Yes, ‘illustrative’ map comparing Africa to large countries does show continent’s ‘immense...

On today’s *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three viral messages: 🌱 Covid vaccines make you “seedless”, says a graphic doing the rounds on Facebook. But it’s FALSE. https://bit.ly/vaccine_seedless    🩹 Yes, sugar can be used to treat minor wounds at home! https://bit.ly/sugar_treatment  🦠 Can baking soda kill viruses and cancer cells in your body? Nope, this claim is F...

On today’s *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three viral messages: No, there is no foolproof way to tell if a drink has been spiked.  https://bit.ly/drink_spiked Do you have to ‘isolate’ for two weeks after getting the Covid jab to protect others from ‘vaccine shedding’? Nope!  https://bit.ly/vaccine_isolate Has the murder rate for the North West nearly doubled from 2020 to 202...

On today’s *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three viral messages: 👮🏾‍♀️ It’s wrong to claim that South African police are not allowed to shoot back when shot at! https://bit.ly/police_shoot   🤱🏽 Yes, viral online photos show baby born in South Africa with progeria, a rare aging disorder. https://bit.ly/progeria_baby   🥥 Can you treat kidney stones, hepatitis or measles wi...

On today’s *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three viral messages: 🔫 Does South Africa have world’s 2nd-highest rate of firearm-related deaths? No! https://bit.ly/firearm_deaths   🇿🇦 Are 20 million black South Africans now unemployed, compared to 1.6 million in 1994? Why a viral graphic got it wrong. https://bit.ly/unemployed_south_africans   ✈️ Yes, a pilot was sucked out of...

On today’s *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three viral messages: 😷 Is it true that asymptomatic Covid-19 patients can’t transmit the new coronavirus? Nope, it’s false! *CLICK:* https://bit.ly/cdc_covid_claims   🧄 No, don’t use garlic to lower blood pressure. Seek proper medical care. *CLICK:* https://bit.ly/garlic_blood_pressure   🇲🇼 Is cancer the leading cause of death in...

On today’s *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three viral messages:  😷 Don’t be misled by the message about Discovery Health providing oxygen tanks for Covid-19 patients? *CLICK:* https://africacheck.info/discovery_oxygen     🛍️ Yes, this video does show a massive queue for shops in Ulundi after #ShutdownSA protests. *CLICK:* http://africacheck.info/ulundi_queue &nbsp...

This week on *"What's Crap on WhatsApp?"* we’re investigating two claims about the recent #ShutdownSA protest and a claim about a bone-breaking “horror frog”.

In this week's "What's Crap on WhatsApp?" we’re investigating alcohol bans, exploding gas cylinders and a debunked Covid-19 cure.

On today’s *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three viral messages: 🛣️ Do ‘over a million’ Africans die in road accidents each year? No, this is the global number of deaths. *CLICK* https://africacheck.info/road_traffic_deaths   👨🏼‍💻 Did an eleven-year-old hacker steal $75bn from a Swiss bank? Nope! *CLICK* http://africacheck.info/hacker_swiss_bank   ♨️ No, inhaling steam (st...

On today’s *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three viral messages: 😷 What is the evidence that links ‘black fungus’ to repeated use of unwashed masks. *CLICK* https://bit.ly/3vRjNFq    🌋 Does this video, posted on Twitter, show lava flowing from Mount Nyiragongo in the DRC? No! *CLICK* https://bit.ly/3i91yaG   📰 No, a South African minister didn’t say ‘white people, Ind...

On today’s *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three viral messages: 💉 The Economic Freedom Fighters claimed Russian and Chinese vaccines have been proven to have higher efficacy than vaccines from Europe and American. But experts say the comparison is flawed. *CLICK* http://africacheck.info/EFF_vaccines   ⛽ Was a service station in South Africa held hostage as robbers sold fuel? No...

On today’s *“What's Crap on WhatsApp?”* we investigate three viral messages:   💉 “These three black celebrities all died this year, within the same month that they received the COVID vaccine,” reads a tweet. But it’s misleading! *CLICK* https://africacheck.info/32HpI38     Did the “Philadelphia experiment” make an entire ship disappear in 1943? This is false. *CLICK* https://africa...