Ramaphosa’s Golf Day Appearance Sparks Fury As South Africans Question His Absence During GBV Crisis

• A video of President Cyril Ramaphosa attending an ANC Veterans League golf day at the Country Club in Johannesburg went viral amid public outrage
• The president had been booked off sick on 16 September 2026 after returning from the BRICS summit in India, the same week women's bodies were discovered in Ekurhuleni and Soweto
• South Africans accused Ramaphosa of ignoring the GBV crisis while being well enough to hit the golf course

SOUTH AFRICA - President Cyril Ramaphosa's appearance at a golf event has ignited fury across South Africa. A video of him arriving at the Country Club in Johannesburg for the ANC Veterans League Presidential Golf Day circulated widely online, drawing sharp criticism from a public already shaken by a wave of femicide.

The outrage is rooted in timing. Ramaphosa was booked off sick on 16 September 2026 after returning from the BRICS summit in India. That same week, the bodies of ten women were discovered, nine in Ekurhuleni and one in Soweto, sending waves of fear through communities and calls for the president to publicly address the crisis. His silence during that period drew widespread condemnation.

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When footage emerged of him attending the golf day, many South Africans felt the contrast was impossible to ignore.

View video here:

Ramaphosa's lack of leadership on GBV fuels the fire

The murders dominated national conversation, with many pointing out that a Zimbabwean businessman filmed threatening women with bullets had reportedly been released on a warning. Critics said the president's choice to attend a leisure event while the country mourned felt tone-deaf.

South Africans reacted with a mixture of disbelief and anger on social media.

@AlhajjAbdul wrote:

"While you enjoy a golf day at the Country Club, South Africa mourns nine women murdered in Ekurhuleni. Mr President, what message are you sending South African women?"

@A_T_C_A said:

"He can jump out of bed for Golf but was 'sick' in bed last week when women were being killed."

@Teekay_fighter added: "This is bad PR on the ANC. We thought your president was at Bara hospital."

@Scare_the_crow put it bluntly:

"So Ramaphosa (the SA president) was too ill to be a responsible president and take care of the country. But Ramaphosa (the ANC president) is fit and well to play golf?"

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@Ngangezwe00 summed up the mood with a pointed comparison:

"This is almost like skipping work the entire week then showing for the year-end function on Friday."

The video has reignited a broader debate about presidential accountability and the government's response to GBV, with many demanding that Ramaphosa speak directly to the nation about the murders and the safety of women in South Africa.

Presidency issues statement on Ekurhuleni killings

Briefly News also reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa finally spoke out about the killings of multiple women in and around Kempton Park, Gauteng. The statement came after days of growing outrage. Ramaphosa said he spoke for all South Africans as he extended his condolences to the families and communities touched by the tragedy. He also confirmed he had personally engaged the Minister of Police and the Acting National Police Commissioner and directed that these cases be treated as a priority.

Source: Briefly News