Newly-appointed sports, arts and culture ministry spokesperson Masechaba Ndlovu and many social media trolls with misinformation about the COVID-19 (coronavirus) may face jail time or a fine.
Yesterday, Ndlovu, who is the spokesperson of the minister of sport, arts and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa, disseminated an erroneous tweet about the South African coronavirus ‘death toll’ on social media, which left Mzansi’s Twitter in shock.
Ndlovu tweeted that 64 people had died from the coronavirus in South Africa but later apologized and deleted the tweet.
Since the trending of the tweet on social media, a Government Gazette proclamation was published by co-operative governance and traditional affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Tuesday.
Government said “any person who publishes any statement, through any medium, including social media, with the intention to deceive any other person about COVID -19, COVID 19 infection status or any person or any measures taken by the Government to address COVID- 19, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months, or both such fine and imprisonment.”
