Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni has distanced herself from fake social media posts that allege she made derogatory remarks about her colleagues in cabinet.
In a media statement released on Thursday, Ndabeni’s office said: “The Minister for Small Business Development, Ms Stella Tembisa Ndabeni, has distanced herself from a fake X (formerly Twitter) post screengrab that falsely appears to be from her account. The post contains derogatory remarks about her colleagues in the cabinet.
False and misleading
“While the account shown in the screenshot is indeed the minister’s real account, the
information displayed is false and misleading. This is a case of manipulated misinformation, where the original text has been altered using editing software and replaced with false content to mislead the public.
“The minister has also noted the existence of several fake social media accounts
impersonating her. She urges the public to be cautious, verify sources of information,
and report fraudulent accounts. Minister Ndabeni calls on the public to always fact-check and authenticate information before sharing it on social media platforms,” said Ndabeni’s office.
Office of the Chief Justice
Meanwhile, last month the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) said it is aware of an individual impersonating the personal assistant (PA) to Chief Justice Mandisa Maya.
The OCJ said in a media statement that the impostor had used the WhatsApp messenger to contact a high-ranking government official in an effort to obtain the contact information or cellphone number(s) of a specific individual.
Similarly, in March 2024, the OCJ warned the public about an individual impersonating Maya. She was deputy chief justice at the time.
At the time, the OCJ said that the imposter had been sending text messages to officials in the OCJ in an attempt to obtain the contact details of judges.
It further stated that the police had been notified of the situation.
Judge Chris Jafta
In December 2023, retired former Constitutional Court judge Chris Jafta informed the OCJ that there was an individual impersonating him and contacting people using his name.
The OCJ said at the time that the motive behind the impersonation was not known.
Similarly, in February 2024, former City of Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda warned the public about scammers who used fake emails to ask for financial assistance using his name.
“The executive mayor of Johannesburg, Kabelo Gwamanda, would like to alert the public about the existence of fraudulent emails falsely claiming to originate from his office,” Gwamanda said in a statement at the time.
