Fake news: police dispel mosquito tablet-related deaths in Cape Town

14 October 2022 - 13:28
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Police have dispelled mosquito tablet-related fatalities in Khayelitsha as fake news.
Police have dispelled mosquito tablet-related fatalities in Khayelitsha as fake news.
Image: Elvis Ntombela

Police in the Western Cape have dismissed as false claims that mosquito tablets killed people in Cape Town.

A voice note, accompanied by photographs of those who are said to have died after taking the tablets, has gone viral. 

“SAPS in the Western Cape has learnt that a voice note accompanied by images of people who allegedly succumbed after administering, or who have been in contact with, tablets meant for protecting humans against mosquitos is doing the rounds on social media platforms,” provincial police spokesperson Col Andrè Traut said on Friday. 

“Claims are made that these tablets are sold in Khayelitsha. SAPS have no record of these fatalities and wish to dispel this as fake news which cannot be substantiated.

“It is on this basis that we would like to request the public to refrain from circulating any information that is not authenticated by authorities as it could lead to unnecessary panic or animosity in our communities.”

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