Following his involvement in a failed coup attempt in Benin in December 2025, the controversial activist Kemi Seba has been taken into custody in South Africa. The specifics of his apprehension have sent shockwaves through the region, primarily due to the identity of his companion at the time of the arrest. The Beninese figure, who has built a reputation as a champion for Black communities, was found alongside a white supremacist terrorist whose ideology stands in direct opposition to Black interests.
An unexpected partnership in Southern Africa
The scene of the arrest provides a startling look at the evolving influence networks in the southern part of the continent. On Wednesday, April 15, South African law enforcement detained Seba, a prominent voice in radical decolonial pan-Africanism, together with François van der Merwe. The 26-year-old Van der Merwe is the leader of the “Bittereinders” (Those Who Fight to the End), a fringe group formed in 2021 that claims to safeguard the Afrikaner minority against what they describe as “anti-white discrimination.” This organization is currently under intense monitoring by the State Security Agency (SSA) and is reported to have hundreds of armed followers.
The Russian link: Konstantin Malofeev and the Tsargrad network
The connection between the Black militant and the Afrikaner extremist is facilitated by an organization known as the Society of the Double-Headed Eagle, or the Tsargrad network. This group is directed by Konstantin Malofeev, an ultra-conservative Russian oligarch. Malofeev has been under international sanctions since 2014 for funding separatists in Ukraine and has been the target of US legal investigations for sanction violations since 2022.
François van der Merwe’s ties to this network strengthened last September when he traveled to Moscow at Malofeev’s invitation. Since that visit, Russian state-controlled media have given him significant coverage. Despite being arrested multiple times for public order offenses and brawling, Kremlin propaganda has consistently portrayed the young Afrikaner as a “political prisoner,” even organizing support events for him near the Kremlin.
From activist to geopolitical pawn
In this broader geopolitical strategy, Kemi Seba appears to have been reduced to a mere instrument. An activist who centered his entire public persona on the fight against “Western supremacy” is now inextricably linked to a movement that seeks to uphold racial privileges dating back to the Apartheid era.
By aligning himself with the Bittereinders, Seba is doing more than just engaging with radical politics; he is partnering with a group that perceives South Africa’s Black majority as a primary adversary. Most significantly, because the Bittereinders are classified as a terrorist organization within South Africa, Seba may be accused of facilitating their activities. Consequently, the legal challenges facing the Beninese activist are expected to be far more severe than initial reports suggested.