CLAIM: Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa breaks his silence “South Africans are soft hence Zimbabweans will keep breaking their laws.” illegal foreigners are criminals and must be arrested, he adds – eNCA
SOURCE: Whatsapp
VERDICT: FALSE
On Thursday morning, a picture of a tweet purportedly from a South African news agency (eNCA) circulated on social media. The tweet claimed that Zimbabwean President, Emmerson Mnangagwa had commented on Zimbabweans breaking laws in South Africa..
“(BREAKING NEWS) Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa breaks his silence “South Africans are soft hence Zimbabweans will keep breaking their laws.” Illegal foreigners are criminals and must be arrested, he adds” reads the tweet.
In recent months, South African government officials have spoken out against the alleged involvement of foreign nationals, especially Zimbabweans, in violent crimes.
President Mnangagwa has not spoken to any South African media house concerning illegal immigrants in South Africa. His most recent remarks on the matter were back in May, 2022, where he was addressing the issue of xenophobic attacks.
However, Information Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa in an article published Wednesday said,
“Cabinet noted with concern the continued malicious reports on the social media depicting Zimbabweans as the chief perpetrators of crime in South Africa and highlighted the need to consistently supply correct information in the formal media,” Ms Mutsvangwa told journalists in Harare.
“Cabinet would like to assure the nation that government remains committed to ensuring that citizens are given the requisite protection and accorded the necessary dignity.”
FactCheckZW went through the @eNCA Twitter feed and could not find the tweet being circulated.
Instead, at the exact time posted on the fake tweet, @eNCA was tweeting on something different.
Another clue that the tweet being circulated is false is in the way the tweet is written – lacking the correct punctuation.
CONCLUSION: eNCA did not tweet about President Mnangagwa urging the South African government to arrest illegal immigrants living in that country.
