South Africa pledged Friday to prosecute anyone behind xenophobic attacks on Ghanaians and other foreign nationals, a day after Accra lodged a formal protest over viral videos of assaults.
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa summoned South Africa’s envoy Thursday and demanded intervention “to prevent further escalation,” his ministry said on X.
The protest followed an incident in KwaZulu-Natal where a Ghanaian man was accosted, asked for proof of legal status, and told to leave and “fix his country.”
South Africa’s police ministry said anyone participating in or inciting xenophobic acts would be “identified, apprehended and brought before the courts.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Ronald Lamola told government officials that “acts of lawlessness, intimidation and violence against migrant communities have no place in our constitutional democracy.” He called the violence a threat to South Africa’s constitutional order.
Police urged community leaders and civil society groups to help prevent further attacks and promote dialogue.
Migrant rights groups say foreigners are being scapegoated for South Africa’s economic problems.
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