Jacob Zuma Africa Check

Photo: Facebook

Africa Check proves prison photo of Zuma is fake… in case you couldn’t tell

Africa Check proved that a photograph claiming to show former President Jacob Zuma ‘waiting for food’ in prison is fake.

Jacob Zuma Africa Check

Photo: Facebook

The prevalence of false and misleading messages spread via social media and other digital platforms and the harm they cause has proven time and again why independent fact-checking organisations such as Africa Check are important. Not all internet hoaxes are created equally and sometimes, like in the case at hand, images are clearly doctored.

Fact-checkers, however, still strive to debunk false claims and the messages that accompany them to make sure fake news has no room to thrive.

Africa Check turned their attention to an image that supposedly showed former President Jacob Zuma – who is currently serving a 15-month jail term for contempt of the Constitutional court – waiting in line for food alongside other prisoners.

Duncan Bwire, an Africa Check researcher, said the “photo” of Zuma was originally posted to a public Facebook group in Kenya with more than 320 000 members. The poster reportedly used the post as a reference to Kenyan political happenings.

Photo: Facebook

The post was captioned, “This is Fomer South African president JACOB ZUMA in a que for food with his fellow inmates in south Africa juts because he violated the constitutio[n]. After WSR, being sworn please don’t forget all those who violated the constitution. THE hot and sunny kakuma camp still needs inmates. Who should be in the list?”

Africa Check explained that “WSR” refers to Kenya’s deputy president, William Samoei Ruto and “Kakuma” is a large refugee camp in northwestern Kenya.

AFRICA CHECK PROVES ZUMA PHOTO IS FAKE

After running a reverse image search, the fact-checking group confirmed that the image is false and Zuma’s head was merely superimposed onto the original, which was first published in October 2002.

The original photo was from a government event at Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town. French press agency AFP captioned the original photograph, taken by Anna Zieminski, as: “A prison inmate smiles as he holds a lighted candle during a moment of silence as all HIV/AIDS prisoners are remembered during a visit by Correctional Minister Ben Skosana to Pollsmoor Prison, Cape Town 12 October 2002.”

A prison inmate smiles as he holds a lighted candle during a moment of silence as all HIV/AIDS prisoners are remembered during a visit by Correctional Minister Ben Skosana to Pollsmoor Prison, Cape Town 12 October 2002 . The minister visited the prison during imbizo week where government ministers listen to what the people are saying in relation to the delivery of services. He identified the four major problem areas in correctional services to be over-crowding, staff shortage;budget constraints and a need to professionalise their own staff. The problem of ‘awaiting trial’ prisoners who could wait for up to six years before going to court was also high-lighted. AFP PHOTO/ANNA ZIEMINSKI (Photo by ANNA ZIEMINSKI / AFP)

Shortly after Zuma handed himself over to the Department of Correctional Services in July, photographs of the former president in prison were leaked after a memory card was stolen, according to the government.

Zuma was hospitalised a fortnight ago for an undisclosed illness and recently underwent surgery. He is expect to undergo more medical procedures soon.