Robert Marawa Shares Cyril Ramaphosa's 2018 Tweet, Mzansi Questions the Timing

Robert Marawa Shares Cyril Ramaphosa's 2018 Tweet, Mzansi Questions the Timing

  • Sports broadcaster Robert Marawa shared an eight-year-old tweet by President Cyril Ramaphosa on X, adding only a pair of eyes emojis
  • The resurfaced post dates back to May 2018, when Ramaphosa joked about the demands of the presidency shortly after taking office
  • X users were divided, with some poking fun at Ramaphosa's leadership and others questioning why the old tweet suddenly reappeared

Sports broadcaster Robert Marawa has sent social media into a spin after sharing a tweet President Cyril Ramaphosa posted back in 2018, with peeps split between laughing at the timing and questioning what prompted the dig into the archives.

Robert Marawa, Cyril Ramaphosa
Robert Marawa has sent social media into a spin after sharing a tweet President Cyril Ramaphosa posted back in 2018. Image:@robertmarawa
Source: UGC

Marawa posted the throwback on X on Sunday, 11 October 2026, quoting Ramaphosa's original tweet from 25 May 2018. He did not explain, attaching only a pair of eyes emojis, 👀, which was enough to set the timeline alight.

What Ramaphosa said back in 2018

The original post dates to the opening months of Ramaphosa's presidency, shortly after Jacob Zuma resigned in February 2018. Writing in a light-hearted tone, Ramaphosa suggested his predecessor had left out a crucial detail about the role.

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He wrote:

"If there is one thing that Former President Zuma never told me about the job of President is that kusetyenzwa way-waya! Had I known, Nxamalala, perhaps I would have changed my mind."

The isiXhosa phrase "kusetyenzwa way-waya" captures the idea that the work never lets up, while "Nxamalala" is a clan name associated with Zuma. The post was widely discussed at the time for its humour and its respectful nod towards his predecessor.

As seen in the post below on X.

Netizens react to Marawa's post

With Marawa choosing to say nothing beyond the eyes emojis, users were left to fill in the blanks, and many were happy to oblige.

@kayk_271 wrote:

"He only wanted the power, not the responsibility"

Mohale took a dig at the president's time in office, saying:

"He took a doze off since this tweet... He's still sleeping"

@Sales_Guru88 questioned Marawa's motives for surfacing the old post, writing:

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"Heee...Madluphuthu, did you use your scorpions to dig this one out? That's like 8 years ago.🤣"

Javinho_S.A offered a lighter read on things, commenting:

"Every story has a happy ending, I guess"

Nathi Ngwenya suggested someone may have jumped the gun, writing:

"I think they're already drafting messages to post, just in case they receive the bad news they are hoping for 🚮. Someone got too excited and accidentally hit 'Post' on this one…lol"

Kgomotso Kumbe pointed to the obvious, asking:

"But that's a 2018 tweet. Why do you get shocked 8 years down the line?"

Lubabalo Sidiya responded with laughter, writing:

"😂😂😂😂 CR 17 madoda yingwenya le"

Marawa's post on Aaron Motsoaledi sparks Debate

Briefly News previously reported that Sports broadcaster Robert Marawa posted a cryptic 'He tried' message on X on Saturday, 10 October 2026, pointing to an old Aaron Motsoaledi video

The post reignited conversations about the former Home Affairs Minister's controversial 2022 immigration speech at an ANC regional conference.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Ncube Harrison avatar

Ncube Harrison (Sports Editor) Harrison Ncube is a sports journalist with years of experience covering African and global sports. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies from the Zimbabwe Open University and previously worked at Sports Buzz (2018–2022), freelanced for Sports Journal (2023–2024), and contributed to Radio 54 African Panorama Live (2021–2023). He joined Briefly News in February 2025. For inquiries, reach him at ncube.harrison@briefly.co.za.