Cape Town - Western Cape government and City of Cape Town officials said there have been no incidents of civil unrest in Mitchell’s Plain, despite reports to the contrary on social media.
This emerged yesterday when the provincial government outlined its safety readiness plan should the violent unrest in other parts of South Africa spill over into the province.
The plan was outlined during a digital conference attended by Premier Alan Winde, MEC for Community Safety Albert Fritz, MEC for Transport and Public Works Daylin Mitchell and provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile.
Earlier yesterday, false reports were spread on social media of unrest in Mitchells Plain, but Winde and Patekile said this was not true.
“(It was) definitely not looting,” Winde said. “It was actually a small robbery that took place.”
Patekile added: “There have been no incidents reported where looting is concerned. Businesses closed their doors when they saw police presence, thinking something was happening as they had seen what had been happening in other areas.
“We have also deployed members to warehouses as we have seen these as key points,” he said.
The City of Cape Town said there had been some panic earlier when police responded to an incident of theft at a mall in Mitchell's Plain.
“Some people started running in panic, and these images started circulating on social media. There was no looting or violence, and police arrested the suspects,” the City said.
Officials have called on the public to stop spreading fake news and creating false reports of public violence in Cape Town
City of Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato said: “This is making it difficult for law enforcement to adequately respond to safety incidents. We all need to work together to ensure our city remains safe. The sharing of outdated videos, pictures and unconfirmed reports has the potential to leave communities vulnerable by unnecessarily diverting resources where they are needed most."
Winde said: “While I appreciate that many residents are concerned and are on high alert because of public violence in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, I urge residents in the Western Cape to refrain from sharing unverified news which is false.
“It is important that we do not fall prey to false or inaccurate information. I urge the public to be wary of fake news that finds its way to you through social media, including WhatsApp.”
Fritz added that the Western Cape government was also looking into prosecuting those disseminating fake news.
He said they would be approaching the National Prosecuting Authority to ask it to look at specific cases in relation to fake news.