| 2020/09/08 |
Media Statement PRETORIA - A series of social media posts depicting a building in Pretoria being used as a centre for human trafficking is fake news. The building which is on Johannes Ramokhoase Street, Pretoria CBD is in fact a residential building accommodating police men and women. Therefore, the posts suggesting that this building is being used for criminal activities is misleading and untrue. People are urged not to post these messages any farther, as such messages tend to create panic and uncertainty among citizens. Anybody caught spreading fake news is likely to face charges of defeating or obstructing the course of justice. In instances where resources are being used to respond to such fake news, every effort will be made to recover the costs of such response/s. Human trafficking is indeed a reality and people are affected by this phenomenon globally. The spreading of fake messages on a matter of such a serious nature is not only a crime but also shows a lack of sensitivity to those affected by this crime. We continue to appeal to anyone who has any information on the person responsible for the creation and spreading of this message or of any other crime to please contact the SAPS on our Crime Stop number 086 00 10111. Information may also be communicated via our MySAPSApp, an application which can be downloaded on any iPhone or Android via PlayStore. All information will be treated with strictest confidence and callers may remain anonymous. Ends
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