Cyril Ramaphosa was not poisoned at BRICS Summit in India

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has officially dismissed viral social media claims alleging that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and other world leaders suffered from food poisoning during the 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi.

The rumors, which circulated rapidly across various social media platforms, suggested that several high-profile attendees had fallen ill due to contaminated food served at the event. However, the Indian government’s fact-checking unit has labeled these reports as entirely misleading and unverified.

The ministry’s fact-checking unit described the social media posts alleging mass food poisoning as misleading and warned users against spreading unverified information.

The speculation regarding President Ramaphosa’s health gained traction after his office announced that he would be withdrawing from public engagements following his return from the summit, citing ill health. This coincidence, combined with similar unverified rumors regarding other leaders, fueled the online narrative.

Officials have urged the public to exercise caution regarding the rapid spread of misinformation concerning prominent political figures, emphasizing that such claims often lack any factual basis and are intended to cause unnecessary alarm.