Fake news cop suspended

Germiston – The Ekurhuleni metro police officer who recently shared a misleading message calling for parents to urgently fetch their children from schools has been suspended.

  The video of the officer was shared on social media platforms causing panic among parents.

  In the video, she alleged that Pakistani nationals were abducting children from schools; also telling parents that she was at her child’s school to fetch her own child.

  The message caused havoc for the Gauteng Department of Education as people panicked and rushed to schools to fetch their children. A total of 13 schools were shut down due to the rumours which included that some of the schools had been set alight.

Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina said: “We met with the chief of police and a decision has been taken to immediately suspend the officer. The decision has been made by the Chief of Police investigation to suspend the officer with immediate effect because she actually has plunged the city into crisis,” said Masina.