The South African presidency has accused Femi Fani-Kayode, Nigeria’s high commissioner to the country, of misrepresenting events surrounding the livestream of a ceremony where he presented his letters of credence to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson to Ramaphosa, said Fani-Kayode wrongly suggested that the South African president intervened in the matter after his speech was omitted from the livestream.
Fani-Kayode presented his letters of credence alongside 14 other envoys on Friday at the Sefako M. Makgatho presidential guest house in Tshwane, Gauteng.
The South African presidency broadcast the ceremony live on YouTube. However, the livestream appeared to experience a technical glitch while Antoine Michon, the French ambassador to South Africa, was delivering his speech.
Michon was scheduled to speak immediately before Fani-Kayode, but the broadcast subsequently cut to Ramaphosa addressing the ambassadors.
The Nigerian diplomat later expressed his displeasure in a lengthy post on X, claiming that his speech had been excluded from the broadcast.
Fani-Kayode said he raised the matter directly with Ramaphosa, who, according to him, took him to the relevant officials and acted promptly to address the issue.
He also disclosed that he declined an interview invitation from SABC News, South Africa’s public broadcaster, because of what he described as the unacceptable treatment he received.
South African presidency responds
Responding to the allegations, Magwenya said Fani-Kayode had wrongly portrayed Ramaphosa as an authority who intervened in the dispute.
“In South Africa the President does not intervene on operational matters at the public broadcasters, neither did he intervene on your behalf,” he said.
Magwenya explained that Ramaphosa merely directed the high commissioner to Sophie Mokoena, SABC’s acting political and foreign editor, as the appropriate person to address his complaint.
He added that Fani-Kayode declined to speak with Mokoena, who could have clarified the circumstances surrounding the broadcast.
“The SABC is a public broadcaster. The President carries no legal or political mandate to interfere with its operations or intervene in its editorial processes,” Magwenya said.
The presidential spokesperson also criticised Fani-Kayode’s handling of the matter, describing his approach to what he considered a minor operational misunderstanding as inappropriate.
“Frankly, your approach in this regard on a minor operational issue which you misunderstood was grossly inappropriate,” he added.
Magwenya urged the Nigerian high commissioner to engage with SABC and establish what he described as a mutually beneficial, respectful and professional relationship as he begins his diplomatic assignment.
He also wished Fani-Kayode well in his tenure, urging him to engage constructively with different aspects of South African society and the country’s constitutional principles.
Hours after Fani-Kayode’s public complaint, the South African presidency uploaded a separate video of his speech to its YouTube channel, making the address available outside the original livestream.
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