IN SHORT: A video circulating on Facebook appears to show South African epidemiologist Salim Abdool Karim stoking fear about Covid vaccines in a TV news interview. But the video is a deepfake, and the falsely attributed claim has been widely debunked.
In June 2025, a video started circulating on Facebook that appears to be a news broadcast from the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
The video shows Prof Salim Abdool Karim, a leading epidemiologist and director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (Caprisa), seemingly being interviewed by well-known South African news anchor Oliver Dickson.
The clip opens with bold on-screen text that reads: “THIS IS A MUST SHARE TO ALL SOUTH AFRICANS.”
It then displays a quote attributed to Karim: “Everyone who received the Covid-19 vaccine is literally a walking corpse.”
The video continues with Karim appearing to say that pathologists around the world have discovered dangerous blood clots in vaccinated individuals.
But none of this is true. The video is a deepfake, a digitally edited video that shows a fake interview and misrepresents Karim’s views on Covid-19 vaccines.
Disinformation using Karim and SABC News footage
Using a reverse Google image search, Africa Check traced the footage back to a SABC News interview posted on YouTube on 9 February. But the topic under discussion had nothing to do with Covid-19 vaccines.
Instead, in this interview Karim discussed the future for South African non-governmental organisations relying on US funding, given the US government’s decision to cut funding to these organisations.
In the viral version, artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used to alter Karim’s facial movements and audio, creating a realistic but entirely fake statement.
The video appears to be a deepfake designed to spread misinformation. A deepfake is a video, image or audio file that has been changed using AI, to make it look like someone said or did something they haven’t.
Statements from Caprisa and Department of Health
In response to the video, Caprisa released a public statement stating that Karim never made the claims shown in the viral video. It emphasised that Covid-19 vaccines are safe and said the deepfake video spread false information about the vaccines and their side effects.
The Department of Health also debunked the claims made in the video, saying it was fake and intentionally created to spread disinformation and false anti-vaccine messages, aimed at deceiving the public and undermining public health efforts. The department also urged people to fact-check such videos before sharing them.
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In an Instagram video, news anchor Dickson also confirmed that the video was fake and that none of the claims in it were true. News24 also debunked the claims made in the video, labelling it a deepfake and warning the public not to be misled by its digitally manipulated content.
Looks familiar
Africa Check has debunked many AI-generated videos, including false claims about the Covid-19 vaccine causing blood clots. These videos are designed to spread misinformation, using AI tools to impersonate credible individuals. Karim’s likeness has also previously been used to spread false information to the South African public.
For tips to identify AI-manipulated or AI-generated content, see Africa Check’s guide.
If you’re unsure whether a video is real or fake, reach out to us and we will help you verify it.