South Africa's public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), has defended its coverage of a diplomatic ceremony involving Nigeria's High Commissioner, Femi Fani-Kayode, after the envoy accused the country's Presidency of excluding his speech from a livestream.
The broadcaster also clarified that it was a public service media organisation, not a state broadcaster, following the controversy that erupted after the presentation of letters of credence to President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria on Friday.
In a statement on Sunday, the SABC said it regretted Fani-Kayode's decision to reject an interview invitation but remained willing to engage with him and the Nigerian High Commission.
“We regret that the High Commissioner declined an interview with SABC News, reportedly because of his dissatisfaction with the livestream of the ceremony,” the broadcaster said.
It added that the Presidency's livestream arrangements were separate from SABC News' editorial coverage, insisting that the organisation operated independently.
Start tomorrow informed
Save your place for the morning brief. We’ll start emailing when delivery goes live.
Free. Confirm by email. Unsubscribe anytime.
“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 statement read.
The broadcaster further maintained that it covered the diplomatic ceremony through its SABC News LIVE channel on SABC+ and showed Fani-Kayode's arrival during a live broadcast on its DStv channel.
It also said it published a video clip of the Nigerian envoy speaking with Ramaphosa on its official X account.
However, the SABC did not directly address Fani-Kayode's allegation that his introduction and address were omitted from the Presidency's livestream.
The dispute began after Fani-Kayode complained that Nigeria's delegation was excluded from the broadcast of the ceremony at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.
The envoy alleged that while the introductions and speeches of 14 other ambassadors were aired, Nigeria's segment was skipped, with the livestream resuming after he had delivered his address.
He subsequently declined an interview invitation from SABC News at the venue, saying he was unhappy with the treatment of the Nigerian delegation.
The Presidency later released the full recording of the ceremony, including Fani-Kayode's speech, on its YouTube channel.
President Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, disputed aspects of the envoy's account, saying the President did not interfere in the broadcaster's editorial operations.
Magwenya said Ramaphosa had directed Fani-Kayode to Sophie Mokoena, SABC's acting political and foreign editor, to address his complaint, but the Nigerian envoy declined to engage with her.
The Nigerian High Commission subsequently defended Fani-Kayode, accusing Magwenya of insolence and ignorance and insisting that Nigeria's delegation had been treated with contempt.
The controversy comes amid renewed concerns over the safety of Nigerians and other African migrants in South Africa.
Nigeria has repeatedly raised concerns over attacks, harassment and killings involving its citizens in the country. In September, the 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 since 2022.
Fani-Kayode had said his mission as Nigeria's envoy was to reset relations between both countries, which have faced recurring diplomatic tensions over attacks on foreign nationals.
Discussion0