Ghana has summoned South Africa’s envoy in Accra following violent xenophobic attacks targeting Ghanaian nationals in Durban and Pietermaritzburg, escalating a diplomatic crisis that threatens to strain relations between two nations historically bound by anti-apartheid solidarity. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the attacks and pledged a crackdown, but Ghanaian officials say the response must go beyond words.
The attacks, which Ghana’s foreign ministry described as “unprovoked and deeply distressing,” targeted Ghanaian traders and business owners operating in KwaZulu-Natal province. Videos circulating on social media showed crowds rampaging through markets, destroying property and scattering vendors. At least a dozen Ghanaian nationals were reportedly injured, with several requiring hospitalisation.
“Ghana stood with South Africa during the darkest days of apartheid,” said Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs. “That history demands a stronger response from Pretoria than we have seen so far.” The ministry confirmed it had summoned South Africa’s acting high commissioner to convey the government’s formal protest.
Ramaphosa issued an apology on national television, acknowledging the “pain and humiliation” suffered by Ghanaian citizens and calling for calm. He said security forces had been deployed to affected areas and that those responsible would face the full weight of the law. South Africa’s police commissioner said additional units had been sent to KwaZulu-Natal and that the situation was under control.
The diplomatic fallout risks straining broader African solidarity frameworks. Both nations are key players in the African Union and ECOWAS, and analysts warn that a prolonged stand-off could complicate joint initiatives on peace, trade, and migration policy across the continent.
Xenophobic violence in South Africa has flared periodically over the past two decades, often targeting nationals from neighbouring countries. Nigerian, Zimbabwean, and Malawian communities have all been affected in previous incidents. Critics say the root causes — unemployment, inequality, and the failure of successive governments to deliver inclusive growth — remain largely unaddressed, leaving vulnerable communities exposed each time economic pressures intensify.
For Ghanaian traders in Durban, the immediate priority is safety and compensation. But the incident has revived a broader conversation about the rights of African nationals to move, work, and invest freely across the continent — a founding promise of the African Continental Free Trade Area that, for many, remains more aspiration than reality.