Fact Check: Did minister really blame white people for cold weather?

- A post has recently gone viral purporting to be a quote by agriculture minister Senzeni Zokwana

- In the quote, Zokwana blames white people for cold weather

- However, the quote is not genuine

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A screenshot has recently gone viral on social media purporting to be a statement made by Senzeni Zokwana, the minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

The picture is of a quote by Zokwana, blaming white people and "their gadgets" for the current cold fronts in some parts of the country.

But is the quote real?

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The short answer? No. The screenshot and the quote are both fake. They were initially posted to Facebook by News Updates South Africa, a notorious fake news site.

The quote reads: "Our forefathers wore animal skins because South Africa was not this cold. But whites came with their gadgets and now we have these cold fronts."

This is not the first fake post by News Updates South Africa to go viral. According to AfricaCheck, the site has been publishing fake news since at least October 2018. 

While News Updates is no longer functional, some of these old posts continue to circulate on social media, Briefly.co.za has gathered. 

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries says they are aware of the post. The spokesperson added that the quote was fictitious.

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The ministry added that they were looking into whether there was a political motive behind the post. However, it appears likely that it was just an attempt at trolling.

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Source: Briefly News