By Marcus Moloko
A video circulating on social media has sparked intense debate across South Africa. In the clip, a man, his identity still unconfirmed, looks directly into the camera and issues a desperate plea to US President Donald Trump.
“South Africans, we say that Donald Trump must come and save our country. You have done it in Venezuela to take, to arrest the president. You can also do [it here]. Cyril Ramaphosa must fall. Please come to South Africa and help us, Donald Trump. Please, we beg you, Mr. President. You are the president of the people. Save our lives. Save our people, save our country in South Africa,” he says.
The video has been widely shared, sparking questions about who this man is, what motivated his appeal, and how it relates to the unfolding crisis in Venezuela.
Just days earlier, the United States launched unilateral military strikes on Venezuela, leading to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro.
Acting on Trump’s orders, US forces flew the couple to New York, where they face charges of drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and terrorism.
Appearing in court on Monday, Maduro insisted he remained Venezuela’s legitimate president and described himself as a prisoner of war.
The operation has mostly been condemned internationally, with South Africa’s representative to the United Nations, Jonathan Passmoor, warning that such actions violate the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Venezuela.
Against this backdrop, the South African man’s plea to Trump takes on a controversial edge. His words suggest admiration for the US president’s decisive, if widely criticised, actions in Venezuela.
By invoking Maduro’s arrest, the man appears to be calling for similar intervention in South Africa, while holding a placard stating #RamaphosaMustFall, framing Trump as a “president of the people” who could rescue citizens from perceived crises at home.
Is the man a political activist, a frustrated citizen, or part of a coordinated campaign?
While Washington defends its actions as a law enforcement operation, South Africa and other nations see them as a dangerous precedent.
The video posted on January 5 has 262.8K views with about 786 re-shares.
INSIDE POLITICS