Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has accused the South African Presidency of deliberately excluding him and his delegation from the livestream of a diplomatic credentials ceremony hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday, 13 November 2026.

Fani-Kayode presented his Letters of Credence at the Sefako M. Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Tshwane, alongside representatives from 14 other countries. He described the occasion as historic, marking the first posting of a substantive Nigerian ambassador to South Africa in four years.

In a lengthy post on X, the Nigerian envoy complained that his formal introduction and speech were missing from the Presidency’s YouTube livestream, which he said resumed only after he had finished speaking.

He alleged that Nigeria was the only country among the 15 whose introduction and address were excluded from the broadcast.

Fani-Kayode said he raised the matter directly with Ramaphosa during a photo session after the ceremony, claiming the President questioned officials and instructed them to address the issue. He also declined an interview request from the SABC, citing what he described as the “deplorable” treatment of his delegation.

However, Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya rejected Fani-Kayode’s account, saying the envoy had misrepresented the incident and incorrectly suggested that Ramaphosa had intervened in the SABC’s operations.

Magwenya explained that the President had merely directed Fani-Kayode to SABC editor Sophie Mokoena, who was the appropriate person to address his concerns. He stressed that the SABC is constitutionally independent and that the President has no mandate to interfere with its editorial processes.

He also described the ambassador’s public handling of the matter as “grossly inappropriate”.

Head of Public Diplomacy Clayson Monyela separately maintained that Fani-Kayode had been broadcast live on SABC News, advising him to use appropriate diplomatic channels to raise his concerns.

The Presidency later uploaded a separate recording of the ceremony, which included Fani-Kayode’s full address. In his speech, the Nigerian envoy pledged to strengthen relations between the two countries, highlighting Nigeria’s historical support for South Africa during the liberation struggle.

The dispute continued on Saturday, with the Nigerian High Commission insisting that its ambassador had been treated with “contempt and disdain”. Magwenya maintained that Ramaphosa had not intervened in the broadcaster’s operations.

The public exchange has turned what was intended to be a diplomatic engagement into a disagreement between the Nigerian mission and South African officials.

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