FactCheckZW
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About FactCheckZW
Zimbabwe factchecking and media literacy platform, sharing fact checked articles and media literacy tips. It is Zimbabwe's first and only IFCN verified fact checking organisation, and second in the region after Africa Check.
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Don't be fooled by this "Zimbabwean" highway! This is a picture from India’s national highway. It has been used numerous times in posts on Zimbabwean roads. Others have claimed the road is in Sierra Leone, South Africa and Ghana, among other places. https://factcheckzw.org/not-zimbabwean-this-highway-is-a-long-way-from-home/
"Garazviya munhu akapiwa ropa reumwe munhu DNA aichinji here?” This question on X has people curious! And no, it doesn’t change your DNA. Even though transfusion is known to alter (for a certain period of time) the recipient's blood group, protein allotype, and alloenzyme phenotype by the introduction of donor material and the dilution of his or her own cells and protein, this still does not change the recipient's own DNA. Through very specialised tests a less than significant amount of the donor's genetic material can be detected in the recipient's blood, usually only up to eighteen months. Read our fact check to learn why your genetic code stays uniquely yours. https://factcheckzw.org/does-a-blood-transfusion-change-your-dna-spoiler-no/
Associating bedbugs with poor hygiene could be one of the reasons why those affected are reluctant to report an infestation to authorities. The claim that bed bugs are caused by poor hygiene is false. Bed bugs are not necessarily caused by dirt or grime but they can breed even in tidy and clean places if the conditions are right. These conditions are the presence of warmth, carbon dioxide and blood. Even the cleanest homes can harbour bed bugs if the conditions are right and that even high end hotels are not immune to infestations as guests from other locations can bring bed bugs. https://factcheckzw.org/suffering-from-bed-bugs-dont-blame-your-hygiene/
Firstly, the widespread claim that all cars in Zimbabwe, even those without radios, are now mandated to acquire a ZBC radio licence is false. The amended Section 13 explicitly exempts vehicles not equipped with a radio receiver, requiring only a signed declaration from the owner. For cars with radios, a ZBC license or a valid exemption certificate is required to obtain a ZINARA motor vehicle licence or insurance. Secondly, the assertion that the fee for car radio licences is a new levy of $23 per quarter, totaling $92 per year, is also false. These fees are not new; they have been in place since 2021, as gazetted by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe's SI 2021-023. The novelty lies solely in the linking of ZINARA motor vehicle license and insurance policy issuance to the possession of a ZBC radio licence or a valid exemption/declaration. Finally, regarding the constitutionality of mandatory ZBC licence payments, the claim that the court ruled the law valid is true. The Constitutional Court has, on multiple occasions (e.g., in Majome vs ZBC and others and Benard Wekare vs The State and others), upheld the validity of mandatory broadcasting licence fees. The court has consistently maintained that possessing a radio or television receiver necessitates payment of the licence fee, irrespective of an individual's preference for ZBC content or perceived quality. The rationale provided is that such fees, akin to taxes, serve a public purpose and are not contingent on direct personal benefit or satisfaction with the broadcaster's programming. Therefore, legal challenges based on freedom of choice or dissatisfaction with content have been dismissed. https://factcheckzw.org/zimbabwe-car-radio-licences-no-receiver-dont-pay-receiver-but-dont-like-the-content-pay-up/
Today we get into our fourth and final fact sheet on breast milk. Producing breast milk is not child’s play (no pun intended). It consumes 25 - 30% of the body’s energy; the brain only uses 20% by comparison. Did you know? The duration and frequency of breastfeeding vary by background characteristics of the mother. At the national level, the median duration of any breastfeeding is over 18 months. The median durations of exclusive breastfeeding and full breastfeeding (breastfeeding plus plain water only) are both less than one month. Median length of breastfeeding tends to be longer in rural areas (19.2 months) than in urban areas (17.6 months); and amongst uneducated women (20.1 months) compared with women who have some primary education (19.0 months) or secondary education (17.8 months). Breastfeeding duration is longest in Masvingo province (20.1 months) and shortest in Bulawayo (16.8 months). https://factcheckzw.org/breastfeeding-takes-energy-lots-of-it/
What’s in a number? There is no conclusive evidence on President Mnangagwa’s year of birth. Is it 1938, 1942 or 1946? Officially, 1942 seems to be the favoured one. But it makes a lie of the President’s surviving the death penalty in 1965 due to being under age. For that to have happened, he would have been born in 1946. Most of the claims of him being born in 1938 stem from Jonathan Moyo’s social media post. All other records show that the President was born on 15 September either in 1942 or 1946, with the former being the official one. On the other hand, FactCheckZW did not come across evidence of the President himself publicly commenting on the discrepancies surrounding his date of birth and age. According to official records, therefore, President Mnangagwa who is turning 83 years old this year, will be 86 in 2028 and not 90 as claimed by Hopewell Chin’ono. https://factcheckzw.org/whats-in-a-number-no-evidence-president-mnangagwa-will-be-90-in-2028/
Not a white genocide: White farmers were killed during Zimbabwe’s land invasions but it was no genocide. Claims that during Zimbabwe’s FTLRP and land invasions ‘most white farmers were murdered in the evictions. A genocide took place in Zimbabwe men women and children were cut down like blades of grass, their crime was BEING WHITE’ and that Zimbabwe ‘slaughtered a lot of the white farmers’ are false and misleading. White farmers were, indeed, killed. The highest number of deaths is 29, given by the Commercial Farmers Union, occurring between 2000 and 2016. This figure includes white farmers murdered in crimes unrelated to land occupation. There were no children killed. At least thirty four black people had been killed in one year of the invasions - in the year 2000. Some uncorroborated reports put the total of the unnamed black farm managers and workers killed by 2017 at 78. https://factcheckzw.org/zimbabwes-land-reform-a-complex-history-yes-but-no-genocide/
The claim that ‘sugar does not cause diabetes’ is misleading because it does not contain full context. While sugar does not cause type 1 diabetes, it does, indirectly, cause type 2 diabetes. Sugar does not only refer to the granulated sucrose but all carbohydrates that the body breaks down into simple sugars. The missing context could be the difference between life and death for someone living with type 2 diabetes. Claims implying that sugar has no connection to diabetes are misleading and can be harmful. While not the direct cause, excessive sugar consumption plays a significant role in the development of type 2 diabetes. https://factcheckzw.org/sickeningly-sweet-sugar-doesnt-directly-cause-diabetes-but/
Déjà Vu: Dew water poisoning claim is back (and still false). The WhatsApp message being circulated that Dew water distributed in South Africa is contaminated with the Ebola virus is an old hoax and has been debunked numerous times before. https://factcheckzw.org/dew-water-no-ebola-no-deaths-just-a-hoax-that-refuses-to-die/
There are claims that the late former president Robert Mugabe was not a fan of the death penalty. We checked. He was. He is on record acknowledging that if it is scrapped, it would be because Mnangagwa, who was anti death penalty, would have prevailed. By the time the law came into effect, Zimbabwe had not carried out any executions for almost 20 years, effectively establishing a de facto moratorium on capital punishment. This prolonged period without executions created momentum for formal abolition. This comprehensive process, driven by a combination of legislative action, political will, public support, and a de facto moratorium, ultimately led to the historic abolition of the death penalty in Zimbabwe. https://factcheckzw.org/mugabe-a-death-penalty-advocate-not-an-abolitionist/