South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s confirmed illness appears to have triggered wider social-media rumours, while claims about other leaders remain unverified
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has rejected viral claims that multiple world leaders fell ill after attending the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, describing the reports as false and warning against what it called malicious social-media posts.
The clarification came on Thursday, September 17, 2026, after social-media posts began circulating claims that several leaders who attended the summit had become sick following their departure from India.
The summit was held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, 2026, bringing together leaders and representatives of the expanded BRICS grouping.
Ramaphosa’s illness is confirmed
The rumours gained traction after South Africa’s Presidency announced on Wednesday that President Cyril Ramaphosa had been temporarily withdrawn from public engagements because of ill health.
The Presidency said Ramaphosa had returned from the BRICS Summit on Monday and had been advised by his medical team to rest and recover. It did not disclose the nature of his illness or indicate how long he would remain away from public engagements.
The South African president has asked ministers to represent him at scheduled engagements where possible.
The announcement was independently reported by Reuters, which also said no details had been released about the nature or severity of Ramaphosa’s illness.
Claims about other leaders not verified
The situation was subsequently used on social media to make broader claims that several BRICS leaders had fallen ill.
Among the claims circulating online were allegations concerning Chinese President Xi Jinping, including an unverified assertion that he had suffered a medical emergency during the summit and left India early.
No credible evidence has established those claims, and India’s MEA has specifically warned against the posts circulating about the health of BRICS leaders.
The MEA’s fact-checking unit shared screenshots of the posts and issued a warning:
“Fake Alert!!! We caution against such malicious posts on social media platforms!”
The ministry also flagged a post specifically linking Ramaphosa’s illness to the BRICS Summit as misleading.
No evidence of a summit-related illness outbreak
There is currently no verified evidence that multiple leaders became ill because they attended the BRICS Summit, and no official source has announced a food-poisoning incident or other health emergency involving the participating delegations.
The confirmed information is that Ramaphosa became unwell after returning to South Africa and was advised by his medical team to rest. The connection between his illness and his attendance at the summit has not been established by the South African Presidency.