South Africa, Fani-Kayode Clash Over Livestream Omission as Presidency Releases His Speech

Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, and the South African Presidency have disagreed publicly over the omission of his speech from a livestream of a diplomatic credentials ceremony in Pretoria.

The dispute followed Fani-Kayode’s presentation of his letters of credence to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday, November 13, alongside ambassadors from 14 other countries.

The ceremony, held at the Sefako M. Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Tshwane, was broadcast live by the South African Presidency.

Fani-Kayode, a former Nigerian Minister of Aviation, later accused South African officials of deliberately excluding Nigeria’s delegation from the broadcast, saying the introductions and speeches of all 14 other ambassadors were aired.

In a post on X, he said the livestream cut out before his scheduled address and resumed only after he had finished speaking.

“Of all the 15 introductions and speeches that were made and delivered this morning only Nigeria's was cut out,” he wrote.

He described the incident as deliberate, suggesting that some elements in South Africa did not want to hear Nigeria’s position or see the Nigerian delegation.

However, reports on the ceremony indicated that the livestream appeared to experience a technical interruption while French Ambassador Antoine Michon was delivering his remarks. Fani-Kayode was scheduled to speak immediately after him, before the broadcast cut to Ramaphosa addressing the ambassadors. 

Fani-Kayode said he raised the issue directly with Ramaphosa during a photo session after the ceremony.

According to the Nigerian envoy, the South African president took him to the relevant officials, questioned them and directed them to resolve the matter immediately.

He said the intervention came too late to restore Nigeria’s speech to the original livestream.

Fani-Kayode also disclosed that he declined an interview offered by South African public broadcaster SABC News in protest over what he described as the treatment of the Nigerian delegation.

He said Nigerian television stations present at the event had recorded his speech and would make the footage available to the public.

But the South African Presidency subsequently challenged his account of Ramaphosa’s involvement.

Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson to the South African president, said Fani-Kayode had falsely referenced Ramaphosa in a matter in which he had no involvement.

Magwenya explained that the president did not intervene in operational matters concerning public broadcasters and had not intervened on Fani-Kayode’s behalf.

He said Ramaphosa had instead directed the Nigerian envoy to Sophie Mokoena, SABC’s acting political and foreign editor, as the appropriate person to address his complaint.

According to Magwenya, Fani-Kayode declined to speak with Mokoena, who could have clarified the situation.

“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.

He described Fani-Kayode’s public handling of the matter as “grossly inappropriate”, saying it arose from what he called a minor operational issue that the ambassador had misunderstood.

Magwenya urged the Nigerian envoy to engage constructively with South African institutions and the media as he begins his diplomatic assignment.

The controversy took another turn hours after Fani-Kayode’s complaint when the South African Presidency uploaded a separate video of his full address to its official YouTube channel.

The video, published on Friday, showed the Nigerian envoy speaking to Ramaphosa about the need to strengthen diplomatic and economic relations between both countries.

In the address, Fani-Kayode said his assignment was partly to rebuild bridges between Nigeria and South Africa and address areas of mutual concern through dialogue.

“Nothing can come between the two of us. And part of my job here is to reset that relationship, to come and build that bridge, and to ensure that whatever concerns we have mutually, we can work them out and move forward together,” he said.

He recalled Nigeria’s support for South Africa during the struggle against apartheid, saying both countries shared a history of friendship and cooperation.

The envoy also described Nigeria as South Africa’s largest trading partner on the African continent and called for closer economic and diplomatic collaboration.

“Without South Africa and Nigeria working together, closely together, the destiny of our great continent may well be affected,” he said.

He commended South Africa’s position on international issues, including the conflict in Gaza, its participation in the BRICS bloc and its advocacy for the Global South.

Fani-Kayode also praised Ramaphosa’s efforts towards securing Nigeria’s inclusion in the Group of 20, describing them as encouraging.

The disagreement comes against the background of longstanding tensions between Nigeria and South Africa, particularly over the treatment and safety of Nigerians living and doing business in the country.

Fani-Kayode has previously spoken publicly about alleged xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks, including reports of Nigerians being killed and businesses targeted.

While warning that Nigeria’s patience over the treatment of its citizens was wearing thin, he has also opposed calls to sever diplomatic relations or retaliate against South African businesses in Nigeria.

His appointment as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa in 2026, with concurrent accreditation to Lesotho and Eswatini, followed his request for a posting to an African country. The assignment also marked the first substantive Nigerian ambassadorial posting to South Africa in about four years.

The livestream dispute has therefore drawn attention to the tone of his diplomatic engagement at the beginning of his tenure.

While Fani-Kayode maintains that Nigeria was the only delegation excluded from the original broadcast, the South African Presidency has pointed to an apparent technical interruption and disputed his account of the president’s intervention.

The subsequent release of his full speech means the address is now publicly available, although the disagreement over how the initial livestream was handled remains unresolved.