Pretoria – The South African Police Service has noted with concern various social media posts perpetuating false information.
The current social media post going viral alleges that a woman arrested for public drinking was gang raped at a Mamelodi police station and subsequently passed away. This is completely untrue and the incident did not take place. The false and reckless allegations are rejected.
The post is regarded as very irresponsible and insensitive towards both the police and the communities we serve. It undermines the trust of the community in the police. We are urgently looking into this social media post to get to the source. The incident is viewed in a very serious light and the police will consider legal action on this matter.
Guys does anyone Know the lesbian Who was gang raped at Mamelodi Police station?😭
— D e y j a h 👑 (@Deyjah_Kiing) April 10, 2018
Who's the source of your information? People must stop taking everything on twitter as Gospel truth, do you have proof that this Mamelodi police station and the lesbian story is true?https://t.co/QHHCwI4vjD
— Mthetheleli (@Nxuba_Rhudulu) April 10, 2018
Where are the @SapaNews, @SAPoliceService, @eNCA, @SABCNewsroom about such a dastardly act of rape of a lesbian at a Mamelodi Police Station? @MbalulaFikile please pass to Minister Cele https://t.co/43mryChCfY
— Morailane Morailane (@Morailane1) April 10, 2018
yoh mamelodi thts where i live
that police station at ext4…their service its so poor and now this mxm https://t.co/ceRFlMIZYa— lethabo precious motau (@lethaboprecio12) April 10, 2018
#sapsHQ Reports that #IPID is investigating #SAPS in connection with gang rape and death of female at Mamelodi police station are false. IPID followed up to establish veracity of allegations but could not find any evidence that an incident of this nature took place at all. NP pic.twitter.com/2APLcgsoF4
— SA Police Service (@SAPoliceService) April 10, 2018
More on the so called fake news Lesbian gangrape in Mamelodi East Police Station Pretoria
— Odidi Mfenyana (@Odidiva) April 10, 2018
However the same police station have been reported to be unresponsive to the public and has been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons over the years
Can you instruct your senior police officers of the Task team to urgently check on the police from the Mamelodi East police station who are always parked at eating places on Tsamaya Road in full uniform and state vehicles during working hours everyday.
— Abel Matebula (@AbelMatebula1) February 24, 2018
This is the very same police station that I called a few months ago when a hijacked car crashed into my wall… called them around 3am and they arrived after 6am… not only did they arrive late but one police officer was drunk.. no statement was taken.
Mamelodi Ext 4— Phat Chunkie (@kgothatsoGembe) April 10, 2018
Lost my white Mazda fjl840gp while parked outside Mamelodi police station to report a house break incident…….worst day of my life.#Saps
— street nerd (@atinnoh) March 17, 2018
Mamelodi Police Station they all went to lunch😰, Minister can this be dealt with… pic.twitter.com/HyAY2PNF6z
— Refiloe (@Refiloe11256434) March 14, 2018
At Mamelodi West A5 police station you have to bring your own pen to write an affidavit, you write your own affidavit. Most of the time there is only one person working there and we have to wait in a long queue to be assisted and we can see that other officers are available😳
— Melanin (@uNomfundo) February 8, 2018
Members of the community are encouraged to use social media platforms responsibly and sensibly when posting. It is important to realise that a communication of this nature is instantaneously spread to other persons. Users of social media must carefully consider the truthfulness of information before they decide to share it with other social media users.
According to South African law, it does not require a person to be the originator of the content of a communication to be held liable. The repeating or sharing a post is sufficient.
A person may be equally liable for another person’s posts where that person knows that they have been tagged in the other person’s post and allows their name to be used, and fails to take steps to disassociate or distance themselves from that post.