The video below, tweeted by the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), South Africa, purports to show mourners flouting COVID-19 regulations on social distancing at the funeral of the late South African President Nelson Mandela’s youngest daughter, Zindzi Mandela.
[Watch] Even though #COVID19inSA regs require #SocialDistancing, max 50 people at a funeral – with masks, it seems funeral goers don't care?
If we don't take the regs seriously ourselves, we will all suffer the consequences – and perhaps many will still blame the government. pic.twitter.com/KkwO7nGGI3
— ACDP South Africa (@A_C_D_P) July 19, 2020
Similar claims have also been made on Facebook (see here, here and here).
Background
Zindzi Mandela, was Nelson Mandela’s sixth-born child and his second with the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
The 59-year-old was buried on July 17 in a private ceremony next to her mother, who died in 2018, at a cemetery in Fourways, in northern Johannesburg. She was South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark and had tested positive for COVID-19 before her death on July 13 at a hospital in Johannesburg, according to her family.
In South Africa, funeral attendance is limited to 50 people according to pandemic regulations. A permit must be obtained from the authorities and wearing of masks, sanitizing and social distancing are also mandatory. The country has so far recorded over 400,000 positive cases of COVID-19 among them, over 6000 deaths.
Verification
State broadcaster SABC filmed the funeral live for over two hours outside since the funeral was private and no media was allowed in. From the live broadcast, the funeral was conducted in an orderly manner and everyone arriving at the funeral is seen wearing a facemask.
The clip circulating online shows some people with blue flower lapels on some mourners. There is no sighting of that from the any of the mourners arriving at Zindzi’s funeral.
South African Police Service (SAPS), released a statement referring to multiple social media videos showing flouting of COVID-19 rules from at least one funeral unrelated to Zindzi’s, that has led to the arrest of two people.
Verdict
The video showing flouting of COVID-19 rules is not from Zindzi Mandela’s funeral, making the claim false.
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