Musina community leader Mr Ntuweleni Madamalala has urged faceless and irresponsible social media users to refrain from causing unnecessary panic among residents.
This follows the circulation of a fake image of a large snake on various WhatsApp groups, allegedly found near the boundary wall of Madamalala’s house. The photo, which went viral within minutes, carried the caption: “Please, be safe. Big snake found at Phase 1, next to Madamalala’s house”.
Madamalala said he was alerted by community members who wanted to know whether he and his family were safe after seeing the image. “I was surprised when I got those calls because I was at home the whole day and I never saw the snake. Although it was raining, I took time to move around my boundary wall, but I didn’t find anything,” he said.
He added that what puzzled him most was that the alleged photographer appeared to have taken the picture directly in front of the “snake”.
“If it was an authentic picture, how can the photographer take a close shot in front of the snake? Is he or she not afraid of such a big snake? Surprisingly, how can that person prioritise taking a photo rather than seeking assistance to have the snake removed from the area?” he said.
Madamalala urged residents to use social media responsibly. “Social media and artificial intelligence have come to make our lives simple, not to terrify us. With social media, we can reach many people within a short space of time and spread important messages of community building, rather than using it to make up false stories to instil fear in our community. Let us refrain from using social media and artificial intelligence to scare our people. Whoever edited the photo is very irresponsible. He or she has done something that we cannot tolerate as a responsible community.”