South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa’s official X account (@CyrilRamaphosa) briefly published explicit videos on Friday during his oversight visit to the North West province, sparking a social media uproar and fresh questions about government digital security.
The account, which boasts more than 3.5 million followers and is managed by the Presidency’s communications team, suddenly displayed clips featuring nudity and women in revealing clothing. The videos, some up to two minutes long, appeared mid-morning while Ramaphosa was addressing service delivery challenges and preparations for the 2026 local elections in Rustenburg.
Although the content was deleted within 15 minutes, screenshots and screen recordings quickly spread across social media, amplifying the embarrassment. One widely shared image showed women dancing in minimal attire, while another depicted explicit scenes wholly unrelated to the President’s engagements or official communications.
In a swift statement, the Presidency apologised and attributed the mishap to a “technical glitch linked to a cross-feed”, explaining that an unintended system overlap caused the inappropriate material to appear.
“We apologise unreservedly for the inappropriate content that appeared briefly on the President’s X account. It was a technical error, and we are addressing it immediately,” the statement read. Officials stressed that the account had not been hacked and that cybersecurity protocols were being reinforced.
Ramaphosa did not personally comment, as he remained engaged with provincial executives and community leaders, but his office confirmed IT specialists were investigating the matter.
“If Cyril can’t manage his X account, how does he manage the country?” one viral post read, while another dismissed the “cross-feed” claim as “a convenient excuse.”
Opposition parties also seized on the controversy. The EFF declared on X: “This glitch exposes the chaos in the Presidency—time for real change.” The DA called for a full audit of the government’s digital security systems.
Memes and parody videos soon dominated timelines, with edited clips showing Ramaphosa “dancing” to the explicit footage gaining traction. At the same time, civil society groups urged stronger cybersecurity measures, citing reports that government accounts faced over 500 attempted cyberattacks in 2025 alone.
The scandal overshadowed Ramaphosa’s North West oversight visit, which had been focused on tackling municipal dysfunction, job creation, and preparations for the 2026 polls. Instead of policy discussions, online chatter turned to ridicule, with more than 50,000 mentions in just a few hours.
By Friday evening, the President’s account had lost about 5,000 followers but saw an unusual surge in engagement.
For Ramaphosa, the digital misstep has added an unwelcome distraction to an already politically sensitive oversight tour, highlighting the risks of managing high-profile accounts in an era of heightened cyber threats and relentless online scrutiny.
Source – centralnews
