South Africa’s broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, has said Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the country, Femi Fani-Kayode, declined an interview invitation following his protest over the exclusion of his speech from a livestream of a diplomatic ceremony hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The SABC, in a statement issued on Sunday, said it regretted the envoy’s decision but remained open to engaging with him and the Nigerian High Commission.
The response followed Fani-Kayode’s complaint that his introduction and speech were omitted from the broadcaster’s livestream of the presentation of letters of credence ceremony held at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria on Friday.
“We regret that the High Commissioner declined an interview with SABC News, reportedly because of his dissatisfaction with the livestream of the ceremony. We respect his decision and remain open to engaging with him and the Nigerian High Commission,” the statement said.
Notably, the SABC did not address the specific allegation that Fani-Kayode’s presentation was excluded from the livestream of the ceremony.
The broadcaster, however, rejected the description of it as a state broadcaster, insisting that it was a public service media organisation committed to independent, impartial and credible journalism.
“Two points need clarifying. First, the SABC is a public service media, not a state broadcaster. Our mandate is to serve the public interest through independent, impartial and credible journalism. The Presidency’s livestream arrangements and SABC News’ editorial coverage are separate matters.
“Secondly, SABC News did cover the ceremony. It was carried on the SABC News LIVE channel on SABC+, and the High Commissioner’s arrival was shown during a live crossing on the SABC News Channel (DStv Channel 404). We also published a clip on our official X account of the High Commissioner speaking to President Cyril Ramaphosa,” it said.
“The SABC remains committed to upholding the principles of fairness, impartiality and editorial independence in its coverage, as well as value our longstanding relationship with Nigeria,” the statement added.
PUNCH Online reports that Fani-Kayode had earlier accused the South African Presidency of deliberately excluding Nigeria’s delegation from the livestream of the ceremony, which involved 15 ambassadors presenting their letters of credence to Ramaphosa.
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The envoy said the introductions and speeches of 14 other ambassadors were broadcast, while Nigeria’s segment was omitted, with the livestream resuming after he had concluded his address.
He also disclosed that he declined an interview offered by SABC News at the venue, saying he had been displeased with the treatment of the Nigerian delegation.
However, the South African Presidency later released the full video of the ceremony, including Fani-Kayode’s speech, on its YouTube channel.
The controversy subsequently sparked a public exchange between the Nigerian High Commission and Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for Ramaphosa.
Magwenya disputed Fani-Kayode’s account of the President’s intervention, saying Ramaphosa had not interfered in the broadcaster’s operations or editorial decisions but had directed the Nigerian envoy to the appropriate SABC official to address his complaint.
The Nigerian High Commission, however, defended Fani-Kayode, insisting that the envoy and Nigeria had been treated with contempt and that Ramaphosa had intervened.
The disagreement comes amid renewed concerns over xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African migrants in South Africa.
Nigeria has repeatedly raised concerns over the safety of its citizens in the country, following reports of killings, harassment and attacks on foreign nationals.
In September, Nigeria’s National Assembly suspended official visits to South Africa over anti-migrant violence, while Nigerian authorities reported that 98 citizens had died in mob or hate-related incidents in the country since 2022.
