Johannesburg - The South African National Defence Force says it is concerned about a fake video showing conventional vehicles, also known as ratels, that is circulating on social media.

The SANDF has denied having deployed a convoy of ratels as part of the national shutdown operation.

The spokesperson for the department, Brigadier General Andries Mokoena Mahapa, said this old video, which has been shared on social media platforms in the past, has returned to cause confusion once again. This is after the same video circulated during the July 2021 riots.

"The SANDF is aware of a video clip that is circulating on social media platforms, indicating a convoy of ratels with a background voice saying that the SANDF has arrived in Soweto. The video was also in circulation in July 2021. The SANDF disapproves of this video, as this type of social media campaign is meant to cause panic and uncertainty to members of the public," Mokoena Mahapa said.

According to the SANDF, there has been no deployment of the ratels in Soweto or anywhere else this week, nor has there been an intention to do so.

"We can confirm that the SANDF has not deployed any ratels as part of Operation Prosper, which is aimed at protecting national key points and critical infrastructure. There are, however, a limited number of ratels that may be spotted in Soweto en route to 21 Infantry Battalion for the rehearsal of the Freedom of the City parade that will take place on March 24, 2023," he said.

This statement comes after the government received criticism for having deployed the army for the Economic Freedom Fighters' led national shutdown on Monday.

Early in the week, the Johannesburg High Court dismissed an urgent application aimed at interdicting the deployment of the South African National Defence Force for the national shutdown. This is after an application was made by Lawyers for Black People, who brought the application against President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ministers of defence and police.

Over and above interdicting the deployment, the civil society group said it also wanted to have the army, and the police barred from interfering with the protest.

The Star

#defence

Navy ship named

SANDF concerned about the resurfacing of ratel deployment video on social media