An image from a AI-generated video, falsely linking a teenager to the murder and attempted murder of two men outside a spaza shop in Driftsands.
Image: Supplied
The family of an 18-year-old say their lives have been shattered after an AI-generated image falsely linked their son to a deadly shooting, in which one men was killed and another wounded in Driftsands, adjacent to Khayelitsha.
Police are investigating a case of murder and attempted murder after two friends were shot while buying food at a local spaza shop last month.
The victims were waiting for their order when a vehicle pulled up, and three armed men got out and opened fire at random.
A video that has since gone viral on social media shows one of the victims being shot in both legs, while the other was shot in the head - both friends were rushed to a nearby hospital, but one of them died on arrival.
The teenager's family say the video, with AI generated images, has seen the teen facing threats and they feel unsafe in their own home.
The ordeal began on Sunday, March 15, as the family was preparing to leave for church.
"A neighbour came to our door and told us there’s a video circulating, and people are saying it’s our child," the family said. "She kept insisting that the (shooter) is our son. We could not believe it. It was as if our world stood still. We all froze."
The claims relate to a widely shared video showing a fatal shooting outside a spaza shop in Driftsands, where 19-year-old Litha Govuza was killed. In the footage, two voices can be heard, with one person allegedly instructing another, who carries out the shooting. The suspects’ faces are not visible in the video.
Despite this, an AI-generated image began spreading rapidly on social media, with users claiming it showed the identity of one of the suspects. The image, appears to taken from the original video, however, the face of the "suspect" is revealed.
The family believes that image was created by someone that knows them and used their son’s photos - the widely shared image has now been interpreted as real.
"People are treating that image like it is a fact. They are sharing it everywhere and saying they are looking for him, but he is not in the picture. It’s something someone created," they said.
A Facebook post circulating the video of the shooting and the AI generated image.
Image: Supplied
By the time the family returned home from church, they say their phones were flooded with calls from concerned relatives and friends who had seen the posts online. It was then that the full scale of the situation became clear.
What followed afterwards, they say, has been a thread of threats that have left them all deeply shaken.
"We started getting death threats on Facebook, with people saying they will kill him and even kill our whole family," they said. "One message said, ‘we will come for you when you have forgotten’. But how do you forget something like this?"
The fear has since changed how they live day to day.
"We don’t even sit with the doors open anymore. Every car that passes, every person walking by, we don’t know who believes those lies or who might act on them. We are constantly looking over our shoulders, just waiting for something we don’t even know is coming."
AI generated image of the teenage.
Image: File
The family believes the image was deliberately created and shared to cause harm.
"Someone took his pictures and made that image so people would believe it’s him, and now it’s spreading faster than we can stop it," they said.
They insist their son was at home at the time of the shooting and say proving his innocence in the face of viral misinformation, has been overwhelming.
"He was with us that night, we know where he was. But how do you prove that to thousands of people online who have already made up their minds?"
The family reported the matter to police but say they were left frustrated by the response.
"We hoped they would help stop this or at least say something publicly, but they told us it would take a long time to trace who is behind the account. They also said they cannot help clear his name while the investigation is ongoing."
They believe a public statement from authorities could help slow the spread of misinformation.
"We just wanted the police to say the image is not verified and that our child is not a confirmed suspect. Right now, no one is stopping the lies, and people continue to believe what they see online."
Describing their son, the family said the allegations are completely out of character. They describe him as a quiet and kind teenager who keeps to himself and spends most of his time at home or at school.
The family recently relocated from the Eastern Cape and say their children are still adjusting to a new environment.
"They don’t know people here. They go to school and come back home, that’s their routine," they said, adding that even the school was shocked when informed of the accusations.
The family is currently looking for help with a place of safety that they can go to while they wait for police to conclude their investigations.
At the time of publication, the SAPS had not responded to requests for comment on the AI image.
However, police spokesperson FC van Wyk said the suspects fled the scene and remain at large.
"The second unidentified male was busy recording the whole ordeal and shouting at the gunman to shoot. The footage was collected from surveillance cameras in the area, and it became clear that this person is considered a person of interest and can assist in the investigation," said Van Wyk.