South Africa’s presidency releases full video of Fani-Kayode’s diplomatic ceremony

The South African Presidency has released the full video of Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa Femi Fani-Kayode’s diplomatic ceremony, including his speech, which was missing from the livestream, Peoples Gazette reports.

The video was posted on the Presidency’s YouTube channel on Saturday, after Fani-Kayode alleged South African officials deliberately left out his address from the broadcast.

The omission sparked a diplomatic row and heated online reactions.

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya accused the envoy of misrepresenting the circumstances and wrongly suggesting that President Cyril Ramaphosa had intervened in the public broadcaster’s operations.

“The president carries no legal or political mandate to interfere with its operations or intervene in its editorial processes,” Magwenya said.

He described Fani-Kayode’s handling of the matter as “grossly inappropriate” and urged him to build a respectful, professional relationship with the broadcaster.

In the video, Fani-Kayode pledged to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties between both countries and recalled Nigeria’s support for South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle.