Photo: Presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya. Photo: GCIS
Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for President Cyril Ramaphosa, faced significant backlash after casting doubt about the Russian missile attack in Kyiv on Friday.
Prominent foreign correspondents, officials and analysts labelled his tweet (included below) as ‘deliberate misinformation’.
Magwenya – who landed Kyiv on Friday, June 16, as part of an African peace initiative – said after the widely reported air raid:
Strangely, we didn’t hear the sirens or explosions.
He added: “[The African Peace Mission] programme is proceeding as planned’.
Magwenya’s statements were quickly spread by Russian state media as proof of a fabricated missile assault.
These comments also sparked widespread criticism on social media platforms.
British journalist Oz Katerji placed Magwenya on his ‘biggest liars in the world’ list.
Oliver Carroll, a foreign correspondent for The Economist, said: “There are no reasonable explanations for why this spokesman would say this. The explosions and sirens were very, very audible from central Kyiv”.
Meanwhile, Ukraїner reporter Yulia Tymoshenko asked: “How can you build peace if you deny that the attacks even happen? How can you build peace if you close your eyes on the injustice?”
Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian MP and Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, voiced scepticism about the neutrality of the delegation members, raising “serious questions around credibility.”
Even President Ramaphosa, during a press conference with the Ukrainian president, acknowledged reports of missile strikes.
According to Kyiv Post, Magwenya made assumptions after ‘misinterpreting’ the city’s business-as-usual demeanour, a forced adaptation to frequent air raids.
On Friday, Kyiv endured a Russian missile assault, an occurrence confirmed by multiple journalists present in the city.
Reuters journalists saw the South African delegation entering the air raid shelter of their hotel to take cover, and AP confirmed that six Kinzhal missiles were fired at Kyiv by Russia.