The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has confirmed that two Ghanaians have been killed following a resurgence of xenophobic violence in South Africa.
He said the victims were attacked in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, and Prieska in the Northern Cape Province.
Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, Mr Ablakwa explained that Bashiru Isaac, 44, a father of three, was fatally shot in Khayelitsha, while Kojo Antwi was killed in Prieska on July 18.
He described the attacks on African migrants as deeply disturbing and said the government would continue to pursue justice for the victims through diplomatic and legal channels.
Mr Ablakwa said the recent wave of violence had been linked to campaigns by some civic groups, including March and March and Operation Dudula. He noted that their activities had evolved from efforts purportedly aimed at cleaning cities into targeting African migrants through harassment, intimidation and so-called citizen arrests.
He disclosed that Ghana had lodged a formal protest with South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation after initially rejecting claims by South African authorities that one of the victims had been misidentified.
According to him, the body of Mr Isaac arrived at the Kotoka International Airport on July 14 and was subsequently transferred to the 37 Military Hospital for an independent autopsy, after Ghana was unable to obtain the official South African post-mortem report.
He said although Ghana had completed its own coroner’s report, it was still awaiting the South African autopsy findings to guide further legal and diplomatic action.
On the second victim, Mr Ablakwa said investigations were ongoing to establish whether Kojo Antwi’s killing was directly linked to the recent xenophobic attacks, and urged the public to rely only on verified information.
The Minister further disclosed that 926 Ghanaians had been evacuated from Johannesburg in three chartered flights between May 27 and June 7 under the first phase of an emergency evacuation exercise.
He announced that a second phase, which began on July 26, was expected to evacuate about 1,000 more Ghanaians. He added that about 200 had already arrived in Accra over the weekend, with another group expected on Tuesday.
Mr Ablakwa said each returnee would receive a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant, a GH¢500 transport allowance, food support, trauma counselling and free registration under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
He also commended the Church of Pentecost in Pretoria and Johannesburg for offering free shelter to displaced Ghanaians, and praised humanitarian organisations and corporate partners for supporting the evacuation efforts.
Mr Ablakwa said Ghana had petitioned the African Union to place the recurring xenophobic attacks on its agenda, noting that such acts undermined African unity, free movement and continental integration.
While reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to maintaining cordial relations with South Africa, he stressed that the government expected thorough, transparent and swift investigations into the killings and would continue to protect the rights and welfare of Ghanaians abroad.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
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