South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has come under fire on social media following the appointment of Yusuf Cassim, an Indian-South African politician, as the country’s Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training.
The Presidency announced Cassim’s appointment in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, but the announcement quickly sparked a wave of criticism, attracting more than 3,000 comments, many of which contained anti-immigrant and Islamophobic remarks.
Much of the backlash centred on Cassim’s appearance in the official government portrait accompanying the announcement. In the image, he wore a blue turban, a traditional head covering worn by some Muslim men.
One X user wrote: “An official government headshot looking all kinds of shades of Bin Laden is wild.”
Another user, @WesternPulse88, criticised the appointment, posting: “You f*ed up for good this time. Leaving us in the ISIS radicals hands, then you complain when Jacob Zuma goes visits his Gupta friends whom are not even Islamic.”
Some critics also questioned Cassim’s South African identity despite his being born in the country.
X user @harrison_t_m wrote: “We are being disrespected here. We are marching for the removal of foreigners and now they appoint a foreigner in Parliament.”
Similarly, @malcommcmillz posted: “What happened to the Zulus who protested and killed foreigners for this job. Make it make sense.”
Others framed the appointment in religious terms.
@BMJENOVA wrote: “Ladies and gentlemen, that’s how Islam will penetrate SA slowly and when the ultimate jihad begins, no other African country will be there for them.”
Another account, @The_Villager_In, commented: “And so the country develops a new problem. Where were Muslims during apartheid?”
A separate user, @ross_rori, directed criticism at Ramaphosa, saying: “South Africans hate you, if you didn’t see it via the support march and march had after pulling the largest crowd in history since 1994 then I don’t know you are a stubborn old man.”
The backlash comes amid heightened tensions over immigration in South Africa, where anti-migrant groups have organised protests in recent weeks, accusing undocumented foreign nationals of contributing to crime, unemployment and pressure on public services.
Despite the online criticism, Cassim dismissed the attacks and reaffirmed his South African identity.
“I am a proud South African,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
“Born and bred in South Africa, just like my parents and their parents before them. I have dedicated my entire adult life to fighting for ALL South Africans and will continue to do so.”
Cassim was born in Uitenhage, in the Eastern Cape, to Indian-South African parents.
Indian-South Africans, who make up about 2.5 per cent of the country’s population, are descendants of migrants who arrived from British India in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are recognised as one of South Africa’s long-established communities and have played prominent roles in the country’s political, economic and social development.
The controversy surrounding Cassim’s appointment highlights growing divisions in South Africa over immigration and identity, with social media increasingly becoming a platform for anti-migrant and religiously charged rhetoric.
