The family of a South African Airways (SAA) staff member has informed the public that she died of cancer and not COVID-19 as many believed.
A statement received from the family by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) confirms that Tebatso Naked Ntshane died as a result of cancer-related complications. She passed away at a hospital in Pretoria over the weekend.
A Facebook post claimed that she had died from COVID-19. The post alluded to a female pilot from Atteridgeville who flew a plane of South Africans from China and back onto home soil. The post was screenshot and shared to various other social media platforms.
“Her 11-year-old son misses his mother a lot. As a family we will always remember and miss her laughter. She was a very bubbly person,” family spokesperson Elias Mazibila said to TimesLIVE. “She was not a pilot, but a flight attendant on the team.”
She was a cabin crew member who had aspirations of becoming a commercial pilot.
“The public is reminded and requested to cease spreading fake news related to Covid-19 as this is an offence prosecutable under the Disaster Management Act,” the SANDF said.
Picture: Twitter