Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, has rejected claims by Nigeria’s High Commission in South Africa that the President intervened in the controversy over the omission of Femi Fani-Kayode’s speech from a diplomatic ceremony livestream, describing the mission’s account as a lie.
Magwenya accused the Nigerian mission of lying over its claim that Ramaphosa intervened in the matter, insisting that the South African President neither interfered with nor had the constitutional authority to influence the operational and editorial decisions of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
The latest disagreement followed a response by the Nigerian High Commission to Magwenya’s earlier criticism of Fani-Kayode’s public protest over the omission of his speech during the presentation of his letters of credence to Ramaphosa.
In a statement posted on X on Friday, Magwenya expressed regret that he had to address the Nigerian ambassador through a public platform, accusing him of falsely attributing the intervention to the South African President.
“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,” he said.
Magwenya maintained that the South African President did not intervene in the operations of the country’s public broadcaster or take any action on Fani-Kayode’s behalf.
According to him, Ramaphosa only directed the Nigerian envoy to Sophie Mokoena, whom he identified as the appropriate person to address his complaint.
“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,” he said.
The presidential spokesperson further accused Fani-Kayode of refusing to engage Mokoena, arguing that she could have clarified the circumstances surrounding the broadcast and resolved the misunderstanding.
He urged the Nigerian envoy to establish a professional relationship with the SABC as he begins his diplomatic assignment in the country.
“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,” Magwenya said.
He stressed that the SABC operates as a public broadcaster and that the South African President has no legal or political mandate to interfere with its operations or editorial processes.
“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. Frankly, your approach in this regard on a minor operational issue which you misunderstood was grossly inappropriate,” he added.
Magwenya also urged Fani-Kayode to familiarise himself with South Africa’s constitutional provisions and engage constructively with the country’s institutions and society.
However, the Nigerian High Commission pushed back against the presidential spokesperson’s position in a response posted on X on Saturday, defending Fani-Kayode and insisting that the incident amounted to disrespect towards Nigeria.
The mission said the ambassador had been treated with contempt and disdain, adding that the treatment extended to Nigeria as a country.
“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 Nigerian High Commission said.
Magwenya subsequently rejected the mission’s account, maintaining that neither Ramaphosa nor the South African Presidency intervened in the operations of the broadcaster.
He described the Nigerian mission’s claim as a false account of events and insisted that there was no presidential intervention.
“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,” he replied.
The presidential spokesperson also advised the Nigerian mission to familiarise itself with South Africa’s constitution, laws and the SABC editorial code.
“Read our constitution and laws and familiarise yourself with the SABC editorial code. Stop disgracing yourself and your country,” he added.
The exchange is the latest development in a diplomatic disagreement that began on Friday after Fani-Kayode accused the South African Presidency of deliberately excluding Nigeria’s delegation from the livestream of a ceremony at which Ramaphosa received letters of credence from 15 ambassadors.
The ceremony, held at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria, was attended by ambassadors presenting their credentials to the South African President.
Fani-Kayode protested that while the introductions and speeches of 14 other ambassadors were broadcast live, Nigeria’s presentation was omitted from the livestream.
According to the Nigerian envoy, the broadcast was suspended when it was Nigeria’s turn and resumed only after he had delivered his speech.
He subsequently said he raised the matter directly with Ramaphosa during a photo session after the ceremony, claiming that the South African President summoned the officials responsible for the broadcast and directed them to resolve the issue.
“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,” Fani-Kayode said.
The ambassador also thanked Ramaphosa for what he described as his timely intervention, while expressing disappointment over the omission of Nigeria’s presentation from the broadcast.
However, Magwenya disputed this account, maintaining that the President did not interfere with the broadcaster’s operations but merely directed Fani-Kayode to Mokoena to lodge his complaint.
He also urged the Nigerian envoy to develop a professional working relationship with the SABC and familiarise himself with the constitutional framework governing the broadcaster’s operations.
Hours after the protest, the South African Presidency released the full video of the ceremony, including Fani-Kayode’s speech, on its YouTube page.
In his address, the Nigerian ambassador pledged to strengthen relations between Nigeria and South Africa, describing his posting as an opportunity to rebuild diplomatic ties and address areas of mutual concern.
He recalled Nigeria’s support for South Africa during its struggle against apartheid and called for stronger cooperation between both countries.
The ceremony also marked the first posting of a substantive Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa in four years, according to Fani-Kayode.
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