What was supposed to be a routine day of political updates quickly turned into a social media frenzy for President Cyril Ramaphosa.
On Friday, 12 September, during his address to the National Executive and the Provincial Executive Council of the North West, his official X account unexpectedly shared inappropriate images of women, leaving citizens and observers stunned.
X Account Flooded with Controversial Content
On the morning of the incident, followers of Ramaphosa’s account, which boasts over 3 million users, noticed x-rated images and videos appearing in the feed.
Although the posts were swiftly deleted, screenshots had already been captured and spread rapidly across social media.
Reactions were immediate and critical. One user, @Innocentstake, commented:
“World leaders, governments, and major institutions follow that account.
It reflects poor oversight and weak security checks at the very highest level of our country’s authority.”
Another user, @Lisathe_first, questioned the origin of the content:
“What was the video doing in the President’s phone to begin with?”
While @uNokwandaLo added a sarcastic take:
“What do we expect from Cupcake? Nothing surprising there.”
Government Calls It a Technical Glitch
After the posts were deleted, the X account of the Presidency was temporarily disabled. Once restored, the account issued an official statement describing the incident as a “technical glitch.”
The statement read:
“We are in the process of evaluating the source of the glitch, which appears to be a cross-feed that superimposes images on posts from the handle. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.”
The ‘Cupcake’ Nickname Reemerges
Following the blunder, social media users were quick to refer to President Ramaphosa by his long-standing nickname, “Cupcake.”
The term reportedly originated in 2017 amid allegations involving the President and several young women, some of whom he allegedly supported financially.
Leaked emails from the period suggested Ramaphosa even used the nickname himself in private correspondence.
In a later interview with the Sunday Times, the President admitted to a past affair with a woman from Limpopo, clarifying:
“I had a relationship with only one person, and it ended. I dealt with it with my wife. We now have a professional relationship.”
Public Debate Continues
The incident has sparked widespread discussion among South Africans about social media security and presidential oversight.
Citizens are debating whether the posts were truly a technical glitch or something more, with opinions divided across social media platforms.
Readers are encouraged to share their thoughts via comment or WhatsApp, while staying updated through The South African’s newsletters and social media channels.