Johannesburg – A fabricated message regarding a purported closure in Gauteng is making its rounds on WhatsApp.
Police Chief Fannie Masemola has requested that citizens disregard and refrain from distributing the communication. According to the South African Police Service, the deceptive message alleges that major roads will be obstructed, educational institutions will be shuttered, and locations such as the American embassy will be vulnerable.
Authorities caution that the message’s purpose is to generate alarm and provoke unrest, adding that the dissemination of false information constitutes a punishable crime.
