The South African authorities stated it was able to cooperate with the African Union course of investigating alleged xenophobic assaults in opposition to foreigners, following Ghana’s resolution to escalate the matter to the mainland.
Minister within the Workplace of the President Khumbudzo Nshabeni stated South Africa had nothing to cover and would supply an evidence of the incident if the African Union determined to formally put the difficulty on its agenda.
“Our place because the South African authorities is that we’ve nothing to cover. If the AU decides to place this problem on the agenda, we are going to present a report containing the info associated to this problem,” he stated at a press convention after Thursday’s cupboard assembly.
Mr Nshabeni maintained that the info would present that there have been no xenophobic assaults in South Africa, however acknowledged incidents involving assaults on international nationals and pressured that safety providers should act decisively in opposition to felony acts.
Her feedback got here days after Ghana formally petitioned the African Union over repeated violence and intimidation focusing on African migrants residing in South Africa.
In a letter dated Could 6, 2026, International Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa urged the AU Fee to deal with the difficulty as one of many continent’s urgent issues, citing the variety of deaths, destruction of companies and rising insecurity amongst foreigners.
Ghana needs the difficulty to be mentioned on the AU’s eighth Mid-Yr Coordination Convention to be held in El Alamein from 24 to 27 June.
The diplomatic transfer follows heightened nervousness among the many Ghanaian neighborhood following a resurgence of anti-immigration protests in some elements of South Africa.
On April 28, 2026, the Ghanaian Excessive Fee in South Africa issued a public advisory advising Ghanaians to train warning and keep away from areas the place demonstrations are anticipated to happen.
Some store house owners in Ghana have additionally been suggested to briefly shut their outlets because of fears of looting and assaults.
Ablakwa stated in his petition that whereas Ghana acknowledges South Africa’s sovereignty to implement immigration legal guidelines, assaults directed at African migrants undermine the spirit of African unity and cooperation championed by the African Union.
