Zuma bashing starting early as R80k restaurant bill resurfaces

By Alec Hogg

Over the past few months I’ve received emails showing an astronomical restaurant bill for a party of 10. Details of this night of gluttonous excess show it cost over R8 000 per diner, inconceivably high in SA. The mail hit my inbox again yesterday, but with a new twist.

This freshly recycled campaign starts with a picture of SA President Jacob Zuma swigging champagne followed by a headlined claim that he was the mystery benefactor of the Signature restaurant in Morningside. My correspondent added his own derogatory commentary. Presumably he distributed his "discovery" to others, perpetuating fake news at its rampant worst.

A quick email to Signature’s owner Desmond Mabuza revealed the bill is authentic (eisch) but has nothing whatsoever to do with SA’s embattled President. Mabuza says Zuma has never visited his restaurant and in fact a long forgotten statement from his office said on the day of the party (12 May) he was out of the country.

Fake news is a scourge. Not only does it defame the innocent, but claims can be so outrageous that miscreants use them to deflect justifiable criticism. Together we can fight this disease. It’s easy. Just check the veracity of the source before hitting that "forward" button.