The post was published by an X account called @Africa_Archives to its nearly one million followers. AFP Fact Check previously debunked the account’s content (see here, here, and here).
A reply to the post — which has garnered thousands of likes and hundreds of reposts — read: “That driver deserves medals and he must work for @SAPoliceService under high-speed chase department (sic).”
However, other comments disputed the location, saying it happened in the Caribbean country of Barbados.
The same claim and video also circulated in 2023 on a Kenyan forum and on X.
However, the claim is false.
Bravery in Barbados
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video confirmed it was recorded in Barbados.
According to the country’s local media (here and here), a public transport driver, Marlon Tempro, used his driving skills to thwart a robbery attempt on July 16, 2024 (archived here and here).
The action was captured on the security dashcam inside the vehicle.
The footage went viral and Barbadians hailed Tempro for his bravery and quick thinking after the pair’s intentions became clear.
“My whole idea was to get out of the situation safely, less damage as possible and come out unharmed and try to at least get back home to my family,” Tempro told reporters in an interview days later (archived here).
The Barbados police issued a wanted person bulletin for one of the suspects, who was 18. He later turned himself in to the police on July 20, 2023, and was charged with a series of robberies that spanned four days (archived here, here and here).
The second suspect, a 16-year-old, was also arrested and charged with the robbery of Tempro and the use of a firearm (archived here).
South Africa crime
South Africa’s Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said crime was generally on the rise when he released the country’s quarterly crime statistics on August 30, 2024 (archived here).
“Crimes that should worry us most are: murder, rape, hijacking, kidnapping for ransom payments, and extortion,” Mchunu said.
South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world. It recorded almost 84 murders a day between October and December 2023, according to official figures (archived here).
