News24 | Deepfake SABC interview with Abdool Karim slammed as dangerous Covid-19 disinformation

Covid-19 has been the subject of several fake news stories circulating in South Africa in recent weeks, including a deepfake video.

• A video falsely portraying Professor Salim Abdool Karim criticising Covid-19 vaccines has been denounced as disinformation.
• The Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa and the Department of Health say the video forms part of a broader misinformation campaign.
• Authorities have urged the public to verify health claims through credible sources and report fake content.

A video depicting Professor Salim Abdool Karim criticising Covid-19 vaccines has been condemned as fabricated and harmful by the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (Caprisa) and the national Department of Health.

Caprisa is a leading research institute focusing on HIV, tuberculosis, and related infectious diseases. It aims to improve public health through scientific research that informs policy and practice.

Abdool Karim, an epidemiologist and now Caprisa’s director, rose to public prominence during South Africa’s initial Covid-19 response as the chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Committee.

In the AI-generated video, which circulated widely on social media but has now started to dissipate, Abdool Karim is falsely shown in an interview with SABC news anchor Oliver Dickson. During the fabricated exchange, the professor appears to claim that Covid-19 vaccines are causing harm and fatalities.

The interview never took place, and both Caprisa and the Department of Health have categorically dismissed its contents as false.

Dickson also released a statement saying the interview never happened:

In a public statement, Caprisa said: “Abdool Karim refutes in its entirety the contents of this latest fake video that is currently being circulated on social media sites and other communication applications.”

The institute reaffirmed that Professor Abdool Karim has long supported the scientific consensus on Covid-19 vaccines, and rejected any suggestion that he or the organisation had endorsed alternative products:

Caprisa urged the public to verify health-related claims with trusted sources, such as the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra), the Department of Health, or a registered healthcare professional. It also urged users not to forward the video in WhatsApp groups or on social media and to make “informed health decisions based on trusted and credible scientific evidence”.

Health minister warns of misinformation-for-profit

The Department of Health echoed Caprisa’s concerns.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi described the video as part of a “sustained campaign of misinformation and disinformation” aimed at undermining public confidence in life-saving vaccines.

“The latest fake news campaign, driven by artificial intelligence applications, has targeted a distinguished South African scientist, Abdool Karim, who is portrayed as warning South Africans about the purportedly deadly effects of the Covid-19 vaccines that saved the lives of many South Africans during the difficult time of the pandemic,” the department said.

According to the department, the campaign is not simply ideological – it is also financially motivated. The individuals behind the video are believed to be promoting unregulated mail-order remedies that falsely claim to treat cardiovascular illness.

“These actions are meant to hoodwink members of the public into buying fake heart medicine. This is done through mail order, and the fake product is not working or is making people feel even sicker.”

Motsoaledi condemned the “charlatans with business interests” behind the video.

Part of a broader Covid-19 disinformation resurgence

The deepfake video is the latest in a string of vaccine-related hoaxes gaining traction in South Africa.

In recent weeks, News24’s Disinformation Desk has debunked a viral video that claimed that Japanese data from 18 million vaccinated people proved people die sooner with each additional Covid-19 dose. The video presented no individual-level data, no peer-reviewed methodology, and no official endorsement from Japanese authorities.

Despite this, the video was promoted by anti-vaccine activists, including Tim Noakes, who used it to renew his long-standing opposition to mRNA vaccines. But health authorities in South Africa, Japan, and globally continue to affirm that Covid-19 vaccines significantly reduce the risk of severe illness and death.

Other hoaxes include a widely shared Facebook post warning of a “deadly” new Covid-Omicron XBB variant, which News24 has shown to be a rehashed false post that’s already several years old.

*At News24, facts matter. This article was produced by the News24 Fact Check Desk and supported by Truth First. If there is something you’d like us to check out, debunk or uncover, send an email to our desk at debunk@news24.com.