Ghana halts visit by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa amid row over anti-migrant protests

The row escalated last week when Ghana condemned the alleged killing of Bahiru Isak, a 40-year-old Ghanaian national living in the Khayelitsha suburb of Cape Town in South Africa. Ghanaian officials said he was killed during anti-immigration protests on 30 June.

South African authorities however say no such killing happened, and insist the only Ghanaian victim was 35-year-old Kwabena Boagen whose death they say was not related to the protests.

South Africa’s justice minister accused Ghana of spreading “false information about South Africa regarding developments on irregular migration”.

There is also a legal question at the heart of the rift between Ghana and South Africa: Accra claims most of its nationals living in South Africa had the necessary residency papers, but Pretoria disagrees. Neither country has provided evidence to support their claims.

In May, Ghana petitioned the African Union over the recurring xenophobia in South Africa, urging action and a fact-finding mission to address attacks on foreigners, which contravene the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.

Analysts say South Africa risks political isolation on the continent if urgent measures are not taken to address the anti-immigration protests and diplomatic tensions.

Xenophobia is nothing new in South Africa, with foreigners blamed by some for unemployment and crime.

But many citizens of other African nations want black South Africans not to forget the support and solidarity they received from fellow Africans during the anti-apartheid struggle through to South Africa’s transition into the multi-racial democracy it is today.

Clarification – 7 July: An earlier version of this story said Cyril Ramaphosa had long planned a state visit to Ghana. While Ghanaian officials have described it as a state visit, South Africa disputes this, and has referred to the planned visit as a bilateral meeting.

Additional reporting by Khanyisile Ngcobo and Natasha Booty