Real or fake: Was an entire staircase stolen in Eldorado Park?

For four years now a post has circulated on social media which claims an entire staircase was stolen in Jozi, and we decided to check the facts.

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On 19 May 2015, a social media user shared a mysterious photo in a Facebook post and she claimed that an entire staircase was stolen overnight.

Briefly.co.za gathered the social media user claimed the incident took place in Eldorado Park, a suburb in Johannesburg.

"You wake up in the morning and you find that your stairs have been stolen. Joburg e special shem. True story... it happened today in Eldorado Park," she captioned the photo.

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So, was the staircase stolen by criminal masterminds at night? The short answer is no.

AfricaCheck - a website which checks fake news stories - found that the staircase was not stolen as the social media user claimed.

According to a News24 article in the same year, it was revealed the stairs were removed pending renovations.

The report added on 12 May 2015 the concrete stairs were broken down and “new metal stairs were supposed to be installed within a week” of that.

Michelle Valentine, a city councillor for Eldorado Park, also rubbished the bizarre story, adding one can't steal stairs.

"There are renovations going on; they can’t steal stairs! Please man! The families got money to go and rent with families and friends. I think it’s just mischief-making and people that are trying to stir up,” she said.

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Source: Briefly News