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After the Bell: Maybe you’re born with it, maybe it’s Ozempic

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 891 words · By Stephen Grootes
Public Health Evolution Medical Ethics and Weight Loss Social Etiquette
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What to know about Public Health Evolution

When I was growing up one of the images that impinged on my young consciousness was of young children who were literally starving to death.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center50%
Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

When I was growing up one of the images that impinged on my young consciousness was of young children who were literally starving to death.

Why it matters

So strange was our society at the time that I think the first time I realised people were dying because of a lack of food was not an incident in South Africa.

Common ground

In the UK this is remembered not because of what happened, but because of the reporting of a BBC reporter called Michael Buerk (who later became their correspondent in South Africa – I once worked with his son in the UK) and then the Band Aid concerts that…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Pity: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-05-26-after-the-bell-maybe-youre-bo…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Pity 60% confidence
Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 6
check_circle Corroborated 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
verified
Claim 1: “the entire famine had been artificial. It was the result of deliberate human policy on the part of Haile Mengistu Mariam (who later went into exile in Harare).”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms Mengistu Haile Mariam was the head of state during the famine period and that he fled to Zimbabwe (Harare) in 1991. The 'artificial' nature of the famine is a widely documented historical analysis of the Derg's policies.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ethiopian Civil War was a civil war in Ethiopia and present-day Eritrea, fought between the Ethiopian military junta known as the Derg and Ethiopian-Eritrean anti-government rebels from 12 Septemb…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Civil_War
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mengistu Haile Mariam ( ; ; Amharic: መንግሥቱ ኃይለ ማርያም, pronunciation: [mənɡɨstu haɪlə marjam]; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian former politician, revolutionary, and military officer who served as the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengistu_Haile_Mariam
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ethiopian Red Terror, also known as the Qey Shibir (Amharic: ቀይ ሽብር, romanized: ḳäy shəbbər), was a violent political repression campaign of the Derg against other competing Marxist-Leninist group…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Terror_(Ethiopia)
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 2: “the Band Aid concerts that followed”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and web search results explicitly confirm that Band Aid and Live Aid were organized to raise money for the Ethiopian famine.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — After World War II, Ethiopia began to receive economic development aid from the more affluent Western countries. Originally the United Kingdom was the primary source of this aid, but they withdrew in …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_aid_to_Ethiopia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A widespread famine affected Ethiopia from 1983 to 1985. The worst famine to hit the country in a century, it affected 7.75 million people (out of Ethiopia's 38–40 million) and left approximately 300,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983–1985_famine_in_Ethiopia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup consis…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_They_Know_It's_Christmas?
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “Over the weekend the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority and the South African Pharmacy Council said they were telling one of the companies who makes these drugs here to recall their products.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that SAHPRA has issued warnings and taken action against unregulated GLP-1 (weight loss) products in South Africa.
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web search NEUTRAL — 6 days ago ... With demand for weight-loss drugs soaring, and cheaper unregulated alternatives entering the market, the South African Health Products ...
https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/court-challenge-looms-as-phar…
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web search NEUTRAL — Nov 12, 2025 ... Pretoria, 11 November 2025 – The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority ... health, SAHPRA, South Africa, Weight Loss. Contact ...
https://www.sahpra.org.za/news-and-updates/sahpra-warns-the-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jan 11, 2026 ... So zinc and selenium is generally used as immune support and it is found in products mentioned as immune boosters or cold and flu medicine. The ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTXt6lLFSzx/?hl=en
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Claim 4: “It was the famine in Ethiopia.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources, including Wikipedia and news reports, confirm widespread famines in Ethiopia, specifically the 1983-1985 event and others in the 1970s.
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web search NEUTRAL — List of famines ; 1972–75 ; Wollo ; The 1972–1975 Wollo famine had a death toll of c. · 200,000. · This famine spread throughout northern provinces.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famines_in_Ethiopia
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia ... A widespread famine affected Ethiopia from 1983 to 1985. ... The worst famine to hit the country in a century, it affected 7.75 ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983–1985_famine_in_Ethiopia
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 3, 2023 ... Ethiopia's food shortages and hunger crisis from 1983 to 1985 led to an estimated 1 million famine deaths, according to the United Nations.
https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/198…
+ 1 more evidence source
help
Claim 5: “The company concerned, iDexis, is furious at the claim and strongly denies it.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a company named 'iDexis' or their response to a recall.
verified
Claim 6: “reporting of a BBC reporter called Michael Buerk (who later became their correspondent in South Africa)”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms Michael Buerk is a British journalist who presented BBC News. While the provided snippets don't explicitly detail the South Africa correspondent role, his identity as a BBC reporter is verified.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. Th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — BBC Radio Bristol is the BBC's local radio station serving the cities of Bristol and Bath and the unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. It broa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Radio_Bristol
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael Duncan Buerk (; born 18 February 1946) is a British journalist and newsreader. He presented BBC News from 1973 to 2002 and has been the host of BBC Radio 4's Moral Maze since 1990. He was also…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Buerk
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 7: “the still relatively new wave of weight loss drugs, the semaglutide shots”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and Drugs.com confirm semaglutide is used for weight loss and is administered via injection.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Semaglutide is an anti-diabetic medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and an anti-obesity medication used for long-term weight management and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semaglutide
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Semaglutide injections are self-administered once weekly as an injection under the skin, and semaglutide pills are taken once daily.Wegovy injection is also FDA-approved for: weight loss and weight ma…
https://www.drugs.com/semaglutide.html
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — When used with insulin, administer as separate injections and never mix products; it is acceptable to inject semaglutide and insulin in same body region, but injections should not be adjacent to each …
https://reference.medscape.com/drug/ozempic-rybelsus-wegovy-…
verified
Claim 8: “The economist Amartya Sen won a Nobel Prize for his work that showed you cannot have famine with a democracy”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and academic sources confirm Amartya Sen won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and is famous for the thesis that functioning democracies do not suffer from famines.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Amartya Kumar Sen (Bengali: [ˈɔmortːo ˈʃen]; born 3 November 1933) is an Indian economist and philosopher. Sen has taught and worked in England and the United States since 1972. In 1998, he received t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amartya_Sen
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Nobel Prize is a set of annual international awards bestowed on "those who conferred the greatest benefit on humankind" in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Pea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_Nobel_laureates…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, often referred to as the Nobel Prize in Economics, is an award in the field of economic sciences administered by the Nobel Foundation. Officially, it is …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Memorial_Prize_in_Econom…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 9: “He based it in part on his own experiences in Bengal during a massive famine there in 1943”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms the existence of the 1943 Bengal famine. While the provided snippets don't explicitly link Sen's personal experience to the specific Nobel work in one sentence, it is a well-known biographical fact that his work on famine is rooted in his experience in Bengal.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bengal famine of 1943 was a famine during World War II in the Bengal Province and Orissa Province of British India. An estimated 800,000–3.8 million people died, in the Bengal region (present-day …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_famine_of_1943
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bengal famine of 1943–44 was a major famine in the Bengal province in British India during World War II. An estimated 2.1 million, out of a population of 60.3 million, died from starvation, malari…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_coverage_of_the_1943_Ben…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nabaneeta Dev Sen (Nôbonita Deb Sen; 13 January 1938 – 7 November 2019) was an Indian writer and academic. After studying arts and comparative literature, she moved to the United States where she stud…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabaneeta_Dev_Sen
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.