South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, has renewed his public disagreement with Nigeria’s High Commission in South Africa over claims that the President intervened in a controversy involving the omission of Ambassador Femi Fani-Kayode’s speech from a live broadcast of a diplomatic ceremony.
Magwenya dismissed the Nigerian mission’s account of the incident as false, insisting that Ramaphosa neither intervened in the matter nor had the constitutional authority to interfere with the operational activities and editorial decisions of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
The latest development followed a response by the Nigerian High Commission to Magwenya’s earlier criticism of Fani-Kayode’s handling of the incident, which arose during a ceremony where the Nigerian envoy presented his letters of credence.
In a statement posted on X on Friday, Magwenya addressed Fani-Kayode directly, expressing regret that he had to respond to the ambassador through a public platform.
He said, “Your Excellency, I deeply regret that I have to address you through a public platform. However, now that you have falsely referenced the President on a matter he has no involvement in, I’m duty bound to clarify your misrepresentation of facts.
“In South Africa the President does not intervene on operational matters at the public broadcasters, neither did he intervene on your behalf. He simply pointed you to @Sophie_Mokoena who was the most appropriate person to raise your grievance with.
“Your Excellency, you refused to speak to @Sophie_Mokoena who would have cleared the misunderstanding with you. I would encourage you, that as you start your tenure in South Africa you meet with SABC to forge a mutually beneficial, respectful and professional relationship.
“The SABC is a public broadcaster. The President carries no legal or political mandate to interfere with its operations or intervene in it’s editorial processes. Frankly, your approach in this regard on a minor operational issue which you misunderstood was grossly inappropriate.
“I wish you well on your tenure and I hope you begin to engage the various aspects of South African society and it’s constitutional tenets constructively.”
However, the Nigerian High Commission rejected Magwenya’s position, maintaining that Ramaphosa had intervened following the ambassador’s complaint.
In its response on Saturday, the mission defended Fani-Kayode’s conduct and said the incident amounted to disrespect towards Nigeria.
The High Commission stated, “Our Ambassador, H.E. Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, @realFFK was treated with contempt and disdain and by extension so was Nigeria.
“H.E. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who we have the utmost respect for, did the right thing by intervening. We got the result we wanted. End of story,” the mission said on X.
Magwenya subsequently fired back, describing the Nigerian mission’s claim as a fabrication and insisting that neither Ramaphosa nor the Presidency had intervened in the broadcaster’s operations.
He replied, “Even when it’s institutionalised, a lie remains a lie. There was no such intervention from the President or the Presidency and there will never be.
“Read our constitution and laws and familiarise yourself with the SABC editorial code. Stop disgracing yourself and your country,” he replied.
The disagreement originated on Friday after Fani-Kayode accused the South African Presidency of deliberately excluding Nigeria’s delegation from the livestream of a diplomatic ceremony at which Ramaphosa received letters of credence from 15 ambassadors.
The event, which took place at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria, reportedly featured the live broadcast of the introductions and speeches of 14 ambassadors, while Nigeria’s presentation was excluded.
Fani-Kayode alleged that the livestream was deliberately suspended when it was Nigeria’s turn to address the gathering and restored only after he had completed his speech.
The Nigerian envoy subsequently said he confronted the matter with Ramaphosa during a photograph session after the ceremony, claiming that the South African leader summoned the officials responsible for the broadcast and instructed them to resolve the situation.
“Right there in my presence he questioned them and directed them to resolve the issue immediately. Sadly, by then it was too late and Nigeria had been left out,” the ambassador said.
Fani-Kayode also expressed appreciation to Ramaphosa for what he described as his intervention, although he said he was disappointed that Nigeria’s presentation had been excluded from the broadcast.
Magwenya, however, maintained that the President did not intervene in the SABC’s operations but merely directed the Nigerian ambassador to Sophie Mokoena, whom he identified as the appropriate official to receive and address his complaint.
He also advised Fani-Kayode to establish a professional working relationship with the public broadcaster and familiarise himself with South Africa’s constitutional framework.
Following the controversy, the South African Presidency released the complete recording of the diplomatic ceremony, including Fani-Kayode’s address, on its official YouTube channel.
During his speech, the Nigerian envoy pledged to work towards strengthening diplomatic and economic relations between Nigeria and South Africa, describing his appointment as an opportunity to rebuild ties and address issues of mutual interest.
He also recalled Nigeria’s contributions to the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and called for stronger cooperation between the two countries.
The ceremony was particularly significant as it marked the first appointment of a substantive Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa in four years, according to Fani-Kayode.
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