This picture showing a large rock inside a container has gone viral on social media. Some posts suggested that it showed a rock sample being shipped from Zimbabwe to China.
This is false.
The picture, in fact, is of an incident in Malawi.
According to Malawi24, in the picture is the country’s Mines Minister, Rashid Gaffar, inspecting a shipment of a rock at a shipping location in Lilongwe. Another report, by Malawi’s Avant Publications, said rocks were confiscated from an illegal miner in 2019.
“After the trial (of the illegal miner), the confiscated stones were sold off, and (the) new owner has to get necessary mineral export permits to export though Manica Containers,” the report says.
The publication added that the ornamental stones are exported in blocks.
A video of the incident posted on Twitter shows a person wearing a Manica Containers bib.
The incident has been subject to various misinformation. One false claim was that: “Malawian government ordered vaccine from Zimbabwe and a huge rock was delivered to them.” As at March 26, the post had been retweeted on Twitter over 2,500 times.
Conclusion
The picture showing a large rock inside a container is not from Zimbabwe. It was taken in Malawi, where a Minister inspected the cargo at the premises of a shipping company.
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