A fresh diplomatic storm has erupted between Nigeria and South Africa after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson accused Ambassador Femi Fani-Kayode and the Nigerian High Commission of lying over the controversy surrounding the broadcast of the envoy’s speech.
Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, dismissed claims that the South African President personally intervened after Nigeria’s presentation was allegedly excluded from a live television broadcast.
He insisted that neither Ramaphosa nor the Presidency interfered in the matter, accusing the Nigerian mission of spreading false information.
The controversy escalated on Saturday after the Nigerian High Commission refused to withdraw its account, insisting that Fani-Kayode was treated with contempt and that Ramaphosa personally intervened following the complaint.
In a blistering response on X, Magwenya declared: “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 further challenged the Nigerian mission to familiarise itself with South Africa’s Constitution, laws and the editorial guidelines of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
“Read our constitution and laws and familiarise yourself with the SABC editorial code. Stop disgracing yourself and your country,” he added.
Magwenya had earlier accused Fani-Kayode of misrepresenting what happened after the ambassador complained about the broadcast.
According to him, Ramaphosa merely referred the Nigerian envoy to Sophie Mokoena, whom he described as the appropriate official to handle the grievance.
He alleged that Fani-Kayode declined to engage Mokoena, who could have explained the circumstances surrounding the broadcast.
The presidential spokesman also described the ambassador’s approach to what he considered a minor operational issue as grossly inappropriate, urging him to build a professional relationship with the public broadcaster.
But the Nigerian High Commission fired back, rejecting Magwenya’s position and insisting that the treatment meted out to Fani-Kayode was an insult to Nigeria.
“Our Ambassador, H.E. Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, was treated with contempt and disdain and by extension so was Nigeria,” the mission declared.
Defending its claim of presidential intervention, the High Commission said: “Our President, President Cyril Ramaphosa, whom we hold in the highest regard, did the right thing by intervening.
“We got the result we wanted. End of story.”
The diplomatic face-off followed Friday’s ceremony at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria, where Ramaphosa received letters of credence from 15 ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions.
Fani-Kayode had protested that while the introductions and speeches of 14 other diplomats were televised live, Nigeria’s presentation was conspicuously missing from the broadcast.
He alleged that the livestream was deliberately switched off when it was Nigeria’s turn to speak and resumed after he had delivered his address.
The ambassador subsequently said he confronted the matter with Ramaphosa during a photo session after the ceremony.
According to Fani-Kayode, the South African leader summoned the officials responsible for the broadcast, questioned them in his presence and directed them to resolve the issue immediately.
“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,” he said.
Fani-Kayode had expressed appreciation to Ramaphosa for what he described as a timely intervention, despite his disappointment over the incident.
In a subsequent development, the South African Presidency uploaded the full ceremony, including the Nigerian ambassador’s speech, on its official YouTube channel.
During his address, Fani-Kayode pledged to rebuild relations between Nigeria and South Africa, recalling Nigeria’s historical support for the country during the struggle against apartheid.
He described his diplomatic assignment as an opportunity to restore confidence, address disagreements and strengthen cooperation between the two African nations.
The latest confrontation comes amid strained relations between both countries over recurring xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.
Nigeria’s National Assembly had in September suspended official engagements with South African institutions over concerns about attacks on Nigerians living in the country.
Fani-Kayode, who arrived in South Africa in October to assume his diplomatic assignment, had repeatedly promised to work towards improving relations.
Friday’s presentation of his letters of credence formally marked the commencement of his diplomatic engagement with Ramaphosa.
However, the controversy surrounding the missing television broadcast has now triggered one of his earliest public confrontations with the South African Presidency.
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