Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has accused the South African Presidency of deliberately excluding his address from the livestream of a diplomatic ceremony in Pretoria.
The allegation was, however, dismissed by the South African Presidency, which attributed the omission to a minor technical issue involving the broadcaster.
The controversy followed the presentation of Letters of Credence to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa by Fani-Kayode and 14 other diplomatic envoys on Friday, November 13, at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.
In a post on X, Fani-Kayode alleged that while all 15 ambassadors were formally introduced and given the opportunity to deliver speeches, the livestream failed to capture his introduction, the Nigerian delegation and his address.
He explained that the broadcast was interrupted while the French ambassador, Antoine Michon, was speaking and resumed only after his own address had ended.
According to him, Nigeria was the only country whose ambassador’s introduction and speech were excluded from the broadcast.
Fani-Kayode further claimed that he raised the matter with President Ramaphosa during a photo session after the ceremony. He alleged that the South African leader questioned officials and directed that the issue be addressed.
He also disclosed that he declined an interview request from SABC News at the venue, insisting that Nigerian television stations had recorded his speech and would make it available.
However, South African Presidential spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, disputed Fani-Kayode’s account, particularly his description of Ramaphosa’s intervention.
Magwenya maintained that the South African President does not interfere in the operational activities of public broadcasters, adding that Ramaphosa merely referred the Nigerian envoy to Sophie Mokoena, SABC’s Acting Political and Foreign Editor.
He also claimed that Fani-Kayode declined to engage with the journalist, describing the envoy’s approach as inappropriate and the incident as a minor operational issue.
A review of the livestream reportedly showed an interruption while the French ambassador was delivering his address, after which the broadcast returned with President Ramaphosa addressing the assembled diplomats. However, no evidence has been established to show that the interruption was deliberate.
Approximately two hours after Fani-Kayode raised the complaint, the South African Presidency published a separate video of his complete address on its official YouTube channel.
In the speech, the Nigerian envoy pledged to work towards resetting diplomatic relations between Nigeria and South Africa. He also recalled Nigeria’s historical support for South Africa during the struggle against apartheid and delivered a goodwill message from President Bola Tinubu.
Fani-Kayode was initially appointed Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany by President Tinubu in March 2026 but was subsequently redeployed to South Africa in May following his request for a change of posting.
He is also accredited to Lesotho and Eswatini and arrived in South Africa on October 25. He described Friday’s ceremony as the first occasion in four years that Nigeria had a substantive ambassador posted to South Africa.
The development comes against the backdrop of longstanding concerns over xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa. However, the latest disagreement centres on the broadcast of a diplomatic ceremony rather than issues relating directly to the protection of Nigerians in the country.
