By Zuko Komisa

- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been temporarily sidelined from public duties to recover from an illness following his return from the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
- His medical leave ignited viral online rumours falsely claiming that multiple world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, had also fallen ill or suffered medical emergencies during the summit.
- Indian authorities formally dismissed the multi-leader illness claims as fake, while cabinet ministers step in to manage state affairs alongside Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been temporarily sidelined from public engagements on medical advice following his return from the BRICS Summit in India.
The unexpected absence halts his immediate public schedule, though state business will be maintained through ministerial stand-ins.
Mr Ramaphosa’s medical leave inadvertently triggered a wave of unverified social media speculation and false claims alleging that multiple world leaders had been affected or fallen sick during the summit.
In particular, viral online rumours falsely alleged that Chinese President Xi Jinping had suffered a medical emergency and departed early claims that stemmed partly from Mr Xi skipping a leadership dinner because he was tired.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs formally dismissed these narratives, issuing a strict “Fake Alert” warning against malicious online reports regarding visiting dignitaries.
Domestically, President Ramaphosa’s absence coincides with Deputy President Paul Mashatile recovering at home from a minor medical procedure. This leaves both top-tier executives temporarily reliant on cabinet ministers to manage official state affairs.
The high-stakes BRICS Summit in New Delhi centered on multilateral cooperation, inclusive global growth, and the successful adoption of the New Delhi Declaration.
The Presidency announced the update in a brief statement, noting:
“The Presidency wishes to advise that, due to ill health, President Cyril Ramaphosa is currently booked off from public engagements.”
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