A diplomatic disagreement between Nigeria and South Africa has intensified after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, accused Nigeria’s High Commission of spreading false information about the South African leader’s alleged intervention in a dispute involving Nigerian Ambassador Femi Fani-Kayode.

Magwenya dismissed the Nigerian mission’s claim that Ramaphosa personally stepped in after Fani-Kayode’s speech was excluded from a televised diplomatic ceremony, insisting that the President neither intervened nor had the constitutional authority to influence the editorial decisions of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

The exchange escalated on Saturday when the Nigerian High Commission rejected the criticism and maintained that Ramaphosa had intervened after the ambassador complained about the incident.

In a strongly worded post on X, Magwenya said, “Even when it’s institutionalised, a lie remains a lie.”

He insisted that neither Ramaphosa nor the Presidency had intervened, adding that the Nigerian mission should familiarise itself with South Africa’s constitution, laws and the SABC editorial code.

Magwenya had earlier challenged Fani-Kayode’s account, arguing that the ambassador wrongly credited the President with resolving the complaint.

According to him, Ramaphosa simply referred the Nigerian envoy to Sophie Mokoena, whom he described as the appropriate official to handle the matter. He alleged that Fani-Kayode declined to engage her, despite the opportunity to clarify what happened during the broadcast.

The presidential spokesperson also criticised the ambassador’s handling of what he described as a minor operational matter, urging him to establish a professional working relationship with the public broadcaster.

But the Nigerian High Commission refused to withdraw its position, saying the treatment of Fani-Kayode amounted to disrespect towards Nigeria as a country.

The mission maintained that the South African President had acted appropriately by intervening and said the outcome of the complaint was satisfactory.

The dispute followed Friday’s presentation of letters of credence by 15 ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions to Ramaphosa at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.

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Fani-Kayode complained that the speeches of 14 diplomats were transmitted live, but the broadcast was interrupted when he was due to address the gathering. He alleged that the livestream was suspended during his presentation and resumed after he had finished speaking.

The Nigerian ambassador later said he raised the matter with Ramaphosa during a photo session after the ceremony. According to his account, the President summoned officials responsible for the broadcast and instructed them to address the complaint immediately, although the intervention came too late to restore Nigeria’s speech to the live transmission.

Despite the disagreement over what happened behind the scenes, the South African Presidency later uploaded the complete ceremony, including Fani-Kayode’s address, to its official YouTube channel.

In his speech, the Nigerian envoy pledged to work towards rebuilding relations between the two countries, recalling Nigeria’s support for South Africa during the struggle against apartheid.

He said his diplomatic assignment would focus on restoring confidence, resolving areas of disagreement and strengthening cooperation between the two African nations.

The controversy comes amid strained relations between Abuja and Pretoria over recurring xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa. In September, Nigeria’s National Assembly suspended official engagements with South African institutions over concerns about attacks on Nigerians.

Fani-Kayode arrived in South Africa in October to take up his diplomatic assignment, with a stated commitment to improving relations between both countries. Friday’s ceremony marked the formal presentation of his credentials to Ramaphosa, but the disagreement over the broadcast has become one of his first major public disputes with the South African Presidency.

TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU