Is This Post Quoting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Legitimate?

This post by former Nandi Hills constituency Member of Parliament Alfred Keter’s official X account claims that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Committee (SADC), endorsed Djibouti’s foreign minister Mahmoud Youssouf’s bid for the African Union Chairmanship.

Background

On February 15, 2024, Raila Odinga announced his intention to run for the African Union Chairmanship, receiving early support from Nigeria’s former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Many Kenyans initially rallied behind his candidacy, hoping for victory. However, following President William Ruto,’s formation of a broad-based government including cabinet secretaries from Odinga’s NASA coalition left some Kenyans feeling betrayed, with some expressing their disappointment on X.

Odinga faces competition from Mauritius’ Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, Madagascar’s Richard James Randriamandrato, and Djibouti’s Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.

On August 27, 2024, Odinga officially launched his campaign to succeed Moussa Faki Mahamat as AU chairperson in an event held at State House, Nairobi. The gathering was attended by notable leaders, including EAC Chairman and South Sudan President Salva Kiir, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, Rwanda’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs James Kabarebe, Burundian Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca, former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, and former president of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo.

Verification.

The African Union chairperson elections have been the subject of much attention and news coverage. Such a declaration by Ramaphosa would likely make headlines, especially in Kenya, given Raila Oding’s candidacy. However, a Google search for “Ramaphosa supports Youssouf” yields no credible reports on this supposed endorsement, only posts debunking the claim of Ramaphosa’s support. 

Additionally, the digital card misspells Mahamoud Ali Youssouf’s name as ‘Mahmoud Youssou’.

The digital card features eNCA’s logo; a 24-hour news channel owned by eTV. However,  it was not published on their official X handle or Facebook page.

The South African Presidency, via its official X account, dismissed the digital card as misinformation and urged the public to verify information with them before accepting it as true.

Verdict

The digital card attributed to eNCA quoting President Cyril Ramaphosa as saying that SADC would support AU Chairperson candidate Mahamoud Ali Youssouf is FAKE.