PRETORIA – Pan-African activist Kemi Seba was arrested in Pretoria this week while allegedly attempting to flee to Europe through Zimbabwe, authorities confirmed on Thursday.
Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi (45), known by his adopted name Kemi Seba, was apprehended alongside his son Khonsou Seba Capo Chichi (18) and alleged facilitator François van der Merwe in an intelligence-driven operation at a Pretoria shopping centre on 13 April.
The trio appeared briefly in Brooklyn Magistrates Court on Tuesday, facing charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and contravention of South Africa’s Immigration Act. Their case has been postponed until 20 April, with all three remanded in custody as extradition proceedings get underway.
Wanted fugitive
South African authorities, working with Interpol, have confirmed that Seba is a wanted fugitive in both Benin and France for crimes against the state. Benin issued an international arrest warrant for him on 12 December, following his public support of a failed military coup attempt against President Patrice Talon.
The activist posted a video shortly after mutinous soldiers appeared on television claiming to have overthrown the government, declaring it “the day of liberation” for Benin. The warrant charged him with “justifying crimes against state security and inciting rebellion”.
Escape plan
According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s Crimes Against the State (CATS) unit, intelligence revealed that Van der Merwe had been paid approximately R250 000 to help the father and son illegally cross the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe. From there, the pair planned to continue their journey to Europe.
During the arrest, officers confiscated cellphones and approximately R318 000 in cash.
Pan-African figure
Born Franco-Beninese, Seba heads the NGO Pan-Africanist Emergency and has built a following of 1,5 million people on social media through his opposition to Western influence in Africa. He is known for his public statements against France and African governments he views as allied with Paris.
France stripped him of his citizenship in 2024. He has since become a vocal supporter of military juntas that seized power through coups in the Sahel region — governments that have distanced themselves from Paris and forged closer ties with Russia.
The arrest was conducted by a multi-disciplinary team comprising members from the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State unit, the Tactical Operations Management Section, and Crime Intelligence’s Counter Terrorism division based at Head Office.
Extradition proceedings are currently underway to return Seba to Benin to face charges.
Seba is a French-born Beninese pan-Africanist activist, writer and journalist known for his opposition to French influence in Africa. Since August 2024 he has served as adviser to Abdourahamane Tchiani, the leader of Niger’s military junta.
He initially gained prominence as leader of the black power group Ka tribe, which was dissolved by the French government in 2006. He was arrested and sentenced several times on related charges, being released from prison in 2008. He subsequently converted to Islam and took on leadership positions in anti-Zionist organisations.
In 2011 he moved to Senegal, later becoming a geopolitical analyst on West African television and speaker on pan-Africanism at African universities. In 2015 he founded the NGO Urgences Panafricanistes and became a prominent figure in opposition to France’s economic influence in African countries. He initiated demonstrations against the CFA franc which took place in January 2017 in several French-speaking African countries.
France stripped him of his citizenship in 2024. Although he is considered controversial in the West, he is a popular figure in Francophone Africa.
