The president of South Africa, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa has withdrawn from public engagements due to ill health.
Ramaphosa, 73, returned from the BRICS summit in India on Monday and had been advised by his doctors to rest and recover, the presidency said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Where possible, the President has asked the respective Ministers to represent him at scheduled public engagements,” the presidency said.
His absence comes as Paul Mashatile, the deputy president, continues to recover from a minor medical procedure, leaving both of the country’s top leaders away from public duties.
Leaders of the BRICS bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, concluded a two-day summit in New Delhi on Sunday, where discussions focused on inclusive global growth and the Middle East.
Social media reports claimed several world leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping and Ramaphosa, fell ill after attending the summit.
Some of the posts claimed Xi fainted and left the summit early for medical treatment.
Though China has yet to confirm the report, Xi is confirmed to have attended the summit and met bilaterally with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India’s ministry of external affairs rejected the claims, labelling them as “fake” and “malicious” posts.
The statement followed genuine confirmation from Ramaphosa’s office that he had taken ill.
