Johannesburg – The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) on Tuesday rejected, as false, suggestions that a video clip doing the rounds of monkeys taking a dip in water tanks was filmed at Jubilee District Hospital.
The GDoH said the source of the video, which has gone viral on social media, was traced to central India.
The GDoH said it traced the source of the video when it was first shared in April 2022 by V6 News, a YouTube channel that captioned the video: “Monkeys Bath In Water Tanks In Narsingapur”.
“Social media users and the general public are urged to condemn any material that seeks to mislead and cause unnecessary panic amongst the public, especially the most vulnerable who rely heavily on public health facilities,” the GDoH said.
The GDoH said it would “like to assure the public that the video where monkeys are seen swimming inside black water tankers is not from Jubilee District Hospital nor any of our public health facilities”.
Jubilee District Hospital and other facilities in Gauteng do not use black water tankers.
The GDoH said its health facilities use green JoJo tankers and the water supplied by local authorities.
“Water utilities to our hospitals and clinics is clean and can be used for human consumption and other services,” the GDoH said.
“It is irresponsible for people to circulate on social media unverified content which spreads lies about water provision at facilities as this has the potential to cause panic among patients, their families, and communities who depend on public health facilities for healthcare services.”
The GDoH said the “same video” was shared earlier this year and those who shared it insinuated that it was depicting the situation at Helen Joseph Hospital at the time when the facility was experiencing water supply shortages.
“We encourage the public report pages that continue to use and distribute such content,” said the GDoH.
“Anyone that creates or spreads fake news about the GDoH or any other facility can be charged with crimen injuria and is liable for prosecution.
“People can access reliable information from all GDoH social media platforms including through trusted sources such as established media outlets.”
