South African police arrested French-born Beninese activist Kemi Seba and his 18-year-old son on Monday at a shopping centre in Pretoria, along with a facilitator accused of helping them illegally cross into Zimbabwe, according to South African police. The facilitator was allegedly paid about 250,000 South African rand ($15,000) to assist Seba and his son in crossing the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe, with the intention of proceeding to Europe, police said.
Seba is wanted in Benin on charges of inciting rebellion after supporting a foiled coup there, according to police. On 7 December, mutinying soldiers claimed to have overthrown the Benin president, but the coup was foiled within hours. Seba is also a wanted fugitive in France for criminal activities relating to crimes against the state, police said. A police spokesperson stated that preliminary investigations revealed Seba is allegedly a wanted fugitive in France and Benin for criminal activities relating to crimes against the state.
Seba and his son appeared in court on Wednesday and remain in police custody, according to South African police. The case was moved to 20 April, with plans for Seba's extradition under way, police said.
Seba was born in France to parents from Benin. He heads the NGO Pan-Africanist Emergency and has been sentenced in France several times for inciting racial hatred, according to court records. In 2024, Seba was stripped of his French citizenship, after which he burned his French passport in public. He wrote on social media that he was freed from the burden of French nationality. He was later granted a Niger diplomatic passport designating him a special adviser to junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani. Former French defence committee chairman Thomas Gassilloud described Seba as a mouthpiece for Russian propaganda who serves a foreign power that fuels anti-French sentiment.
Seba has not commented on the allegations against him, according to BBC News. It remains unclear what specific evidence Benin and France have against Seba, and whether he will be extradited to Benin or France first. The current status of the facilitator and Seba's son is also unknown.