Herman Mashaba Retweets Fake Photo of Nandipha Magudumana, South Africans Ask if He Knows About AI
- ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba caused a stir online after he took to social media to retweet a post about Dr Nandipha Magudumana
- Mashaba, the party's mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, shared the post on 1 April 2026, leaving some to question if it was an April Fools' Day joke
- South Africans took to social media to criticise the ActionSA leader for not only sharing the photo but also mentioning the president in his post
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
GAUTENG - Herman Mashaba’s post on X (formerly Twitter) has got social media buzzing.
South Africans are debating whether the ActionSA leader was fooled by artificial intelligence or was trying to trick others on April Fools’ Day.
Mashaba took to the social media platform to retweet a picture of Dr Nandipha Magudumana, leaving social media in stitches.
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What did Mashaba retweet?
Taking to social media, ActionSA’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg retweeted a photo of Dr Nandipha sitting in a courtroom, but she appeared to be pregnant.
The photo turned out to be a fake and was edited to make it appear as if she were pregnant. Dr Nandipha is currently imprisoned at the Bizzah Makhate Correctional Centre, a women's prison in Kroonstad, Free State.
She faces 38 charges linked to Bester’s prison escape, including fraud, corruption, money laundering, arson and defeating the ends of justice. While the focus has been on her, her father recently claimed that powerful people helped Bester escape.
Mashaba shared the tweet on 1 April 2026, mentioning President Cyril Ramaphosa in his post. Mashaba questioned why Ramaphosa was destroying the country, saying that everyone would be judged by his actions and inaction.
Mashaba’s post drew a lot of reactions and comments, with social media users questioning whether he knew it was a fake photo. The original post also drew a lot of attention, with many questioning who the father of the baby was and how it happened if Dr Nandipha was in an all-women’s prison.
Source: Facebook
Social media users troll Mashaba over post
South Africans mocked the ActionSA leader online for sharing the edited photo, but some did try to defend him.
@khomotsojm urged:
“Mashaba, please hire a social media assistant.”
@N_uneducatedone stated:
“You are too old to be fishing for engagements.”
@martin03012002 exclaimed:
“A whole presidential candidate falling for AI pics.”
@MbusoDlamini01 noted:
“You even tagged the president over AI photos, Uncle Herm.”
@madibatingo said:
“I want to give ActionSA a chance in the next elections, but your tweets are just not making it easy for me. All I know at this point is I'm done voting for Amasela.”
@Zikode_ka_Gasa added:
“It's AI, and you rush to blame Ramaphosa. I bet you feel very stupid now.”
@LeboMKeswa defended Mashaba:
“Happy April Fools' Day, guys. Hawu, stop with the insults.”
@sandile_gqoboka asked:
“Haibo Bra Herm. What is the president supposed to do?”
@sikhulile noted:
“A president of a political party being dribbled by AI.”
@bheki80 said:
" It is April Fools' Day, sir. Don't lose votes over a prank."
Dr Nandipha eligible to apply for compassionate leave
Briefly News reported that Dr Nandipha was eligible to apply for compassionate leave for her mother's funeral.
Her mother's funeral was held in Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday, 26 March 2026.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) considers bereavement leave on a case-by-case basis
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Source: Briefly News
