Following his suspected role in a December 2025 coup attempt in Benin, activist Kemi Seba has been detained in South Africa. The details of his capture reveal a startling contradiction: the self-proclaimed defender of Black rights was caught alongside a white supremacist whose ideology is diametrically opposed to Seba’s stated mission.

A surprising collaboration in southern Africa

On Wednesday, April 15, South African law enforcement apprehended Seba, a prominent voice in radical pan-Africanism, alongside 26-year-old François van der Merwe. Van der Merwe leads the “Bittereinders” (“Those Who Fight to the End”), a fringe group focused on protecting Afrikaner interests against what they claim is “anti-white discrimination.” This group is currently monitored by the State Security Agency (SSA) and boasts hundreds of armed followers.

The Russian connection

The bridge between these two unlikely allies is the “Society of the Double-Headed Eagle,” also known as the Tsargrad network. This entity is controlled by Konstantin Malofeev, an ultra-conservative Russian oligarch. Malofeev has faced international sanctions since 2014 for supporting separatists in Ukraine and has been under investigation in New York for sanctions evasion since 2022.

Van der Merwe’s ties to Russia solidified after a trip to Moscow last September at Malofeev’s request. Since that visit, Russian state media has heavily promoted him. Despite multiple arrests for public disorder and brawling between late 2023 and early 2024, Kremlin-backed media outlets have portrayed the young Afrikaner as a “political prisoner,” even staging demonstrations in his support near the Kremlin.

Geopolitical pawns and racial contradictions

In this complex geopolitical landscape, Kemi Seba appears to have become a tool in a larger game. The man who rose to fame by attacking “Western supremacism” now finds himself linked to a faction dedicated to maintaining racial hierarchies reminiscent of the Apartheid era.

By partnering with the Bittereinders, Seba is collaborating with a movement that views the Black majority in South Africa as a threat. Because the Bittereinders are designated as a terrorist organisation in South Africa, Seba’s involvement could lead to legal consequences far more severe than initially reported, as he may have actively supported their operations within the country.