Video of Ramaphosa eating a samosa shared with caption “Once a sellout always sellout”

A short video featuring South African President Cyril Ramaphosa casually peeling and eating a samosa during a private gathering has circulated widely on social media platform X. In the clip, Ramaphosa smiles and chats with an elderly white-bearded man dressed in traditional Islamic robes and a kufi, while surrounded by community members, news cameras, and attendees wearing Palestinian keffiyehs. The post was shared alongside the hostile caption, “Cry beloved South Africans. Once a sellout always sellout,” which commentators quickly seized upon to reignite decade-old political controversies.

The shared video lacks essential context, as the post provides no information about when or where the event took place, what specific occasion brought the president there, or the identities of the people standing with him. Without clear verification, the footage simply records a routine interaction between the president and local community members, leaving the social media caption as an unverified interpretation designed to provoke political criticism.

In the comment section, users leveraged the video to revive historical claims that Ramaphosa acted as an apartheid-era police informant. These claims originated during a heated 2019 parliamentary debate on the State of the Nation Address, when former Defense Minister and COPE founder Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota accused Ramaphosa of betraying anti-apartheid activists to the security police during the 1970s. Ramaphosa firmly denied those allegations at the time, clarifying that he had refused to testify against his fellow struggle activists despite police pressure. Following Lekota’s passing in March 2026, those past parliamentary exchanges have resurfaced in online discourse.

The online post also included links to a petition calling for stricter border controls on asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. However, no evidence links the video to illegal immigration issues, nor has the presidency issued a response to the renewed social media accusations. The incident demonstrates how unverified footage can be repurposed online to revive past political disputes without presenting any new supporting facts.

https://x.com/RamaphiriMpho/status/2111555277317087442

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