Within Zimbabwe Hoaxes
How Did the Toe Selling Hoax Go Viral?
Jokes, staged clips and recycled images created a false international story that Zimbabweans were selling their toes for huge sums.
On this page
- Where the rumour started
- How images and captions supplied false proof
- What police and fact checkers found
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Introduction
In mid-2022, an extraordinary rumour spread across Zimbabwe and then across much of Africa: people were supposedly cutting off and selling their toes for enormous sums of money, with some posts claiming a big toe could fetch as much as US$40,000 or even a new vehicle. The story was shocking, memorable and seemingly plausible to some observers because it appeared during a period of severe economic hardship and inflation in Zimbabwe. Yet investigators, journalists, police and independent fact-checkers found no evidence that any such trade existed. Instead, the episode became a revealing example of how social media jokes, recycled images and misleading captions can combine to create an international hoax.[Africa Check]africacheck.orgno evidence zimbabweans are selling their toes becauseAfrica CheckNo evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…3 Jun 2022 — No evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…
The “toes-for-cash” rumour is notable not because of the claim itself, but because it demonstrates how absurd stories can acquire credibility when they fit existing anxieties and are repeated often enough. In Zimbabwe’s modern history of misinformation, it stands as a clear internet-era case study in viral falsehood.
Where the Rumour Started
The precise origin of the story is difficult to trace, but fact-checkers found that the rumour gained momentum at the end of May 2022 through social media posts claiming that Zimbabweans were selling toes because of poverty and unemployment. Many versions specified prices for different toes, with the largest supposedly worth the most money.[AFP Fact Check]factcheck.afp.comAFP Fact CheckZimbabwe's informal vendors battle toe-trafficking hoax7 Jun 2022 — There is no evidence to support the claims; Harare dism…
Reports from Zimbabwean and international media suggested that the story was amplified by humorous videos and jokes circulating online. One widely shared clip featured a man claiming he had received a vehicle after sacrificing a toe. Another showed an apparent toe-cutting scene. Rather than being treated as obvious comedy by all viewers, these clips were reposted as evidence that a real trade existed.[PolitiFact]politifact.comcash toes zimbabwe no rumors started jokeCash for toes in Zimbabwe? No, rumors started as a joke7 Jun 2022 — Rumors that people in Zimbabwe are selling their toes for c…
The rumour also drew on older beliefs and urban legends about wealth being obtained through occult means or ritual practices. In that environment, a bizarre claim involving body parts and sudden riches did not seem entirely impossible to some audiences.[AFP Fact Check]factcheck.afp.comAFP Fact CheckZimbabwe's informal vendors battle toe-trafficking hoax7 Jun 2022 — There is no evidence to support the claims; Harare dism…
How Images and Captions Supplied False Proof
A major reason the hoax spread so widely was the apparent availability of visual evidence. Social media posts often included photographs of injured feet, bandaged toes or people displaying new vehicles. The images were presented as proof that individuals had participated in the supposed trade.[Africa Check]africacheck.orgno evidence zimbabweans are selling their toes becauseAfrica CheckNo evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…3 Jun 2022 — No evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…
In reality, the pictures did not establish any connection to toe-selling. Fact-checkers found that the images were simply being reused with new captions. Videos were similarly stripped of context or interpreted in the most sensational way possible. A viewer encountering a photograph of a missing toe alongside a claim of a US$40,000 payment could easily assume the image confirmed the story, even though no evidence linked the two.[Africa Check]africacheck.orgno evidence zimbabweans are selling their toes becauseAfrica CheckNo evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…3 Jun 2022 — No evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…
The mechanism was familiar:
- A striking claim appeared online.
- Photographs and short clips were attached as “proof”.
- Users reposted the material without verification.
- Repetition created the impression that many independent sources were confirming the same story.
By the time the rumour crossed borders into countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia and South Africa, many people encountered only the finished myth rather than its joking origins.[africacheck.org]africacheck.orgno evidence zimbabweans are selling their toes becauseAfrica CheckNo evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…3 Jun 2022 — No evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…
Why So Many People Believed It
The hoax succeeded because it attached itself to a real social problem. Zimbabwe was experiencing sharp economic pressures, rising prices and widespread public concern about living costs. A story about desperate citizens taking extreme measures for money resonated with pre-existing assumptions about economic hardship.[KSAT]ksat.comToes-for-cash hoax reflects Zimbabwe fears of soaring pricesJune 10, 2022 — 10 Jun 2022 — Paradza declared the toes-for-money story a…
The claim also benefited from a common feature of misinformation: it sounded too strange to invent. Many readers reasoned that nobody would make up such an outlandish story. That reaction, paradoxically, helped the rumour spread.
Another factor was the international tendency to accept sensational stories about unfamiliar places with less scrutiny than would be applied to stories closer to home. The rumour fit stereotypes about economic crisis and therefore travelled easily across social media networks.[PolitiFact]politifact.comcash toes zimbabwe no rumors started jokeCash for toes in Zimbabwe? No, rumors started as a joke7 Jun 2022 — Rumors that people in Zimbabwe are selling their toes for c…
What Police and Fact-Checkers Found
As the story gained traction, Zimbabwean authorities and journalists began investigating. Police announced inquiries into the claims and reminded the public that trade in human body parts would be illegal under Zimbabwean law. Despite the widespread rumours, investigators found no verified cases of anyone selling a toe.[The Fourth Estate]thefourthestategh.comfact check no evidence for viral claim of toes for cash in zimbabweThe Fourth EstateFact-Check: No evidence for viral claim of toes for cash in…8 Jun 2022 — From the above, it's clear there's no eviden…
Independent fact-checking organisations reached the same conclusion. Africa Check found no evidence that Zimbabweans were selling toes because of poverty and reported that government inquiries had found the claims false. AFP journalists visited the area most commonly associated with the rumour and interviewed traders who rejected the story as a social-media fabrication.[Africa Check]africacheck.orgno evidence zimbabweans are selling their toes becauseAfrica CheckNo evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…3 Jun 2022 — No evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…
Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Information, Kindness Paradza, publicly dismissed the allegations after visiting the location where the supposed transactions were said to be occurring. He described the reports as false and harmful to the country’s image.[africacheck.org]africacheck.orgno evidence zimbabweans are selling their toes becauseAfrica CheckNo evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…3 Jun 2022 — No evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…
Perhaps the most telling detail emerged when a trader who had apparently spoken to local media about the alleged trade later retracted his claims. According to reports, he said he had been joking and had been under the influence of alcohol when he made the statements. Authorities subsequently charged him with causing a public nuisance.[AFP Fact Check]factcheck.afp.comAFP Fact CheckZimbabwe's informal vendors battle toe-trafficking hoax7 Jun 2022 — There is no evidence to support the claims; Harare dism…
Why the Story Still Matters
The toes-for-cash hoax faded relatively quickly once investigations produced no evidence, but it remains a useful illustration of how misinformation spreads in the social-media era.
Unlike older newspaper hoaxes or forged artefacts, this deception did not depend on a single mastermind. Instead, it emerged from a mixture of jokes, memes, recycled photographs, misunderstandings and repeated reposting. Thousands of users collectively transformed a rumour into what looked like a documented fact.[PolitiFact]politifact.comcash toes zimbabwe no rumors started jokeCash for toes in Zimbabwe? No, rumors started as a joke7 Jun 2022 — Rumors that people in Zimbabwe are selling their toes for c…
The episode also highlights an important lesson about evidence. Images alone rarely prove a claim, especially when their origin is unknown. In the toes-for-cash story, photographs and videos supplied the appearance of proof without actually demonstrating that the alleged events had happened. Fact-checkers who traced the claims found a striking absence at the centre of the entire narrative: nobody could identify a verified seller, buyer or transaction.[Africa Check]africacheck.orgno evidence zimbabweans are selling their toes becauseAfrica CheckNo evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…3 Jun 2022 — No evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because…
Within Zimbabwe’s wider history of famous false stories, the toe-selling rumour stands as a modern digital hoax. It shows how quickly an implausible claim can gain authority when it taps into genuine fears, acquires visual support and is repeated across borders before anyone stops to ask for evidence.[AFP Fact Check]factcheck.afp.comAFP Fact CheckZimbabwe's informal vendors battle toe-trafficking hoax7 Jun 2022 — There is no evidence to support the claims; Harare dism…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: factcheck.afp.com
Link:https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.32C23FF
Source snippet
AFP Fact CheckZimbabwe's informal vendors battle toe-trafficking hoax7 Jun 2022 — There is no evidence to support the claims; Harare dism...
2.
Source: politifact.com
Title: cash toes zimbabwe no rumors started joke
Link:https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/jun/07/facebook-posts/cash-toes-zimbabwe-no-rumors-started-joke/
Source snippet
Cash for toes in Zimbabwe? No, rumors started as a joke7 Jun 2022 — Rumors that people in Zimbabwe are selling their toes for c...
3.
Source: ksat.com
Link:https://www.ksat.com/business/2022/06/10/zimbabweans-count-their-toes-as-inflation-soars-above-130/
Source snippet
Toes-for-cash hoax reflects Zimbabwe fears of soaring pricesJune 10, 2022 — 10 Jun 2022 — Paradza declared the toes-for-money story a...
Published: June 10, 2022
4.
Source: africacheck.org
Title: no evidence zimbabweans are selling their toes because
Link:https://africacheck.org/fact-checks/meta-programme-fact-checks/no-evidence-zimbabweans-are-selling-their-toes-because
Source snippet
Africa CheckNo evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because...3 Jun 2022 — No evidence Zimbabweans are selling their toes because...
5.
Source: thefourthestategh.com
Title: fact check no evidence for viral claim of toes for cash in zimbabwe
Link:https://thefourthestategh.com/2022/06/fact-check-no-evidence-for-viral-claim-of-toes-for-cash-in-zimbabwe/
Source snippet
The Fourth EstateFact-Check: No evidence for viral claim of toes for cash in...8 Jun 2022 — From the above, it's clear there's no eviden...
6.
Source: facebook.com
Title: no it turns out zimbabweans arent actually cutting off and selling their toes
Link:https://www.facebook.com/FutureMediaNewsNamibia/posts/no-it-turns-out-zimbabweans-arent-actually-cutting-off-and-selling-their-toes/3347871922134553/
Source snippet
it turns out Zimbabweans aren't actually cutting off and...Mvelani African News | It's A Hoax: There Is No Toes For Cash Business In Zim...
7.
Source: facebook.com
Title: claims that hard pressed zimbabweans had resorted to selling their toes for surv
Link:https://www.facebook.com/nation/posts/claims-that-hard-pressed-zimbabweans-had-resorted-to-selling-their-toes-for-surv/10160545846299497/
Source snippet
Claims that hard-pressed Zimbabweans had resorted to...9 Jun 2022 — Mvelani African News | It's A Hoax: There Is No Toes For Cash Busine...
Additional References
8.
Source: ghana.dubawa.org
Title: hoax no evidence zimbabweans are selling their toes for money
Link:https://ghana.dubawa.org/hoax-no-evidence-zimbabweans-are-selling-their-toes-for-money/
Source snippet
dubawa.orgHoax; No Evidence Zimbabweans Are Selling Their Toes...8 Jun 2022 — Zimbabwean Deputy Information Minister, Kindness Paradza...
9.
Source: aol.com
Link:https://www.aol.com/news/hoax-desperate-people-selling-toes-131050397.html
Source snippet
Hoax about desperate people selling toes for cash leads...Paradza declared the toes-for-money story a hoax, as did local and foreign fac...
10.
Source: thegrio.com
Link:https://thegrio.com/2022/06/10/hoax-about-desperate-people-selling-toes-for-cash-leads-zimbabwe-minister-to-check-citizens-feet/
Source snippet
Police arrested a street vendor who now...Read more...
11.
Source: belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Link:https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/toes-for-cash-hoax-reflects-zimbabwe-fears-of-soaring-prices/a/112276891.html
Source snippet
Toes-for-cash hoax reflects Zimbabwe fears of soaring prices10 Jun 2022 — Mr Paradza declared the toes-for-money story a hoax, as did loc...
12.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwcsJOTblH0
Source snippet
Why Human Toes For Money Rituals In Zimbabwe?...
13.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Zimbabwe Selling Toes For Money| Where |Why& How to sell updates
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY1NkAfHa0o
Source snippet
Young men don dey sell dia toe for $40,000 for Zimbabwe...
14.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Young men don dey sell dia toe for $40,000 for Zimbabwe
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VFY4kaTLeM
Source snippet
zimbabwe selling toes | Zimbabwe Finger Trade | Zimbabwe toes...
15.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Why Human Toes For Money Rituals In Zimbabwe?
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWZmieTUnoE
Source snippet
Zimbabwe Selling Toes For Money| Where |Why& How to sell updates...
16.
Source: youtube.com
Title: zimbabwe selling toes | Zimbabwe Finger Trade | Zimbabwe toes
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS2yTkogaxg
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