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Fact check: South Africa leader acknowledged existence, risk of COVID-19 omicron variant

Chiara Vercellone   | Paste BN

The claim: South African prime minister denies existence of new COVID-19 variant in country

The origin of the omicron variant has been questioned by social media users since its appearance in South Africa in November. Now, some claim that the country's leader hasn't  even acknowledged its existence.

A screenshot of a tweet that purports to be from South Africa's prime minister has caught users' attention.

"Lies lies we are fine here in SA no variant nothing," the tweet reads, which gathered over 400 likes in the three weeks since the image was posted on Instagram Nov. 28. "Poverty and unemployment are the major pandemics here not this covid thing"

The original tweet was shared around 900 times and gathered over 1,800 likes in the three weeks after it was posted Nov. 25.

The Instagram caption accompanying the image echoed the claim, saying "they are making it up to scare the unconscious thinkers."

South Africa has reported a consistent increase in new coronavirus infections for weeks, which has been mainly attributed to the omicron variant.

The claim comes from an unverified Twitter account claiming to be the country's prime minister, a position that doesn't exist. The country's leader has openly acknowledged the presence of the omicron variant in South Africa.

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Paste BN reached out to the Instagram user who posted the claim for comment.

South Africa led by president, not prime minister

The Twitter account that denied the existence of the omicron variant in South Africa has several red flags.

While its bio says it represents the "Prime Minister of the Republic of South Africa," the account has not been verified by Twitter. Most government accounts have the blue check mark, including the official profile for the South African government and the profile for South Africa's National Treasury.

And the account's profile image actually depicts Pravin Gordhan, South Africa's public enterprises minister.

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In addition, South Africa doesn't have a prime minister. The position was abolished in 1984, according to the information provided by the South African government.

The country's current leader is President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was elected in May 2019.

Ramaphosa, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 12 after a tour of four West African countries, has spoken widely about the risks of the pandemic and, more recently, about the omicron variant.

In a Dec. 6 letter, Ramaphosa said the omicron variant appeared to be "dominating new infections in most provinces." He said the recent surge in infections is "of great concern."

Ramaphosa also urged South African residents to get vaccinated, use masks, avoid crowds and follow social distancing guidelines.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that the South African prime minister denied the existence of the new COVID-19 variant in the country. South Africa doesn't have a prime minister; it is led by a president who has acknowledged the existence and risks of the omicron variant. The Twitter account posing as the prime minister isn't a verified account.

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