Hard lockdown: Cape Town officials reject claims of ‘food shortages’

The City of Cape Town (COCT) has slammed a set of ‘fake voice-notes’ doing the rounds on social media, as South Africans continue to worry about the potential of another hard lockdown. The last thing anyone needs at this point is fear-mongering – but that is exactly what has taken place after claims of ‘food shortages’ started doing the rounds.

‘Fake voice-notes’ stoke hard lockdown fears

The anonymous voice-notes have spread like wildfire, particularly amongst WhatsApp users in the south-west. There was also the wild assertion that COVID-19 is now developing into a deadlier ‘super-virus’. Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Zahid Badroodien, has blasted the fake news – and moved to establish the real facts:

• Badroodien has stated that there is now a “continued uptick” in positive cases across some of Cape Town’s sub-districts.
• Compared to September, when 2 292 cases were recorded, there have been just over 3 000 cases this month.
• Sub-districts that have experienced increases in infection rates include the Southern, Western, and Northern sub-districts.
• According to COCT, this increase is linked to a number of cluster infections in various settings where young people congregate.

Food shortages in Cape Town? Of course not…

Badroodien’s myth-busting mission rejected the notion that the Mother City would struggle with food shortages over the festive period. He has called upon all citizens to act responsibly with the information they’re sharing:

“The City of Cape Town notes with concern a number of instant messaging voice notes doing the rounds, spreading fake news about a return to a hard lockdown being imminent, with resultant food shortages and super viruses that will cause even more devastation than COVID-19.”

“The proliferation of fake news has become an all too common occurrence, so these voice notes are not surprising. However, they serve as nothing more than a distraction from the important messages and facts that we need to continue focusing on in the fight against the virus.”

City of Cape Town

COVID-19 fearmongering distracts from our responsibility to help keep each other safe.

Read more: https://t.co/yCcPZJOvAl#CTNews pic.twitter.com/6vFRK1krme

— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) October 28, 2020