Video of Distressed Mom and Unhelpful Police Is NOT South African
A video which is being shared in South Africa this week, showing a distressed woman crying in her car was NOT filmed in South Africa. The mother – Kogee Sinniah – who had just picked up her son from training, says after she inadvertently went into the wrong lane, she had been followed by a […]
A video which is being shared in South Africa this week, showing a distressed woman crying in her car was NOT filmed in South Africa.
The mother – Kogee Sinniah – who had just picked up her son from training, says after she inadvertently went into the wrong lane, she had been followed by a car with three youths in it. She was too scared to go home incase they had weapons, and called the police as she made her way to the station. When she got there, the hysterical woman was refused entry because the guard wanted her to calm down and “talk nicely” to him.
The incident occurred in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in March 2018… but this week – in May – it is being shared by South Africans pointing blame at the South African Police Service (SAPS).
In fact one person who posted the video wrote: “This is what is happening in South Africa. This poor woman alone in her motor vehicle with her child seeks help from our SAP in her area?????”
The poster said she was a member of a reputable South African group and had copied the video to Facebook from the group.
It was clear from the emergency number – 999 – which the woman in the video said she had called, that this video was not filmed in South Africa.
Many social media commenters have said that while awareness around the world about the lack of safety for women is important, it does not help build community spirit if false information is spread.
One Facebook user said the video, shared as if South African, “breeds an environment of immense stress and spreads unnecessary fear” for those living in South Africa.
The video poster said “no matter where it happens, this kind of treatment is bad”… but did not update her caption to remove the reference to SA and to the SA Police Service.
It seems South Africa is not the only country that has erroneously claimed the video as its own. India did too. Yesterday Kogee Sinniah sent a message to an Indian site asking them to delete the video – “I am the woman in video. So pls delete the post in your group.”
Meanwhile the video of a hijacking incident which did occur in Durban on Monday night, has been going viral. Five hijackers took two businessmen from Reservoir Hills on a “terror ride”, according to News24, before dropping them off unharmed.
This morning on East Coast Radio, Damon Beard said: “I have been hijacked before, so I can relate to the fear and panic that sets in during a situation like this.”