Keypoints:
- Ghana and South Africa disagree over the circumstances surrounding a Ghanaian’s death
- Pretoria says the killing was unrelated to anti-immigration demonstrations
- Accra has lodged diplomatic protests and petitioned the African Union
GHANA and South Africa have issued sharply conflicting accounts over the death of a Ghanaian national in Cape Town, triggering a diplomatic dispute as both governments disagree over when, where and how the man was killed.
The disagreement centres on whether the victim died during anti-immigration demonstrations that swept parts of South Africa on June 30 or in an unrelated criminal shooting the previous day. Despite the disagreement, neither government has announced measures affecting bilateral relations, with both continuing to engage through established diplomatic channels.
The dispute comes amid heightened concern over the safety of foreign nationals in South Africa following recent anti-immigration protests and has the potential to test relations between Accra and Pretoria if the competing accounts cannot be reconciled through official investigations. While both governments say they are seeking the facts, each has publicly advanced a different version of events.
Ghana links death to anti-immigration protests
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the government had received reports that a Ghanaian citizen had been fatally shot during violence linked to anti-immigration demonstrations.
According to Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the deceased was identified as 40-year-old Bashiru Isak, who was reportedly shot in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, during unrest associated with demonstrations calling for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa.
The ministry condemned what it described as ‘xenophobic attacks’ targeting African nationals in South Africa and called for a full investigation and the prosecution of those responsible.
Ghana said its High Commission in Pretoria had formally protested to South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and lodged a complaint with the South African Police Service (SAPS), following earlier diplomatic tensions covered in Ghana summons SA envoy over xenophobic attacks.
Accra also said it had petitioned the African Union Commission over what it described as ‘xenophobic attacks’ against African nationals in South Africa, urging the continental body to consider the issue at its next statutory meeting. The move builds on Ghana’s wider push for accountability, reported in Ghana demands justice after citizen killed in South Africa.
Pretoria rejects Ghana’s account
South African authorities have rejected Ghana’s version of events, saying preliminary police findings do not link the fatal shooting they are investigating to the June 30 demonstrations.
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said police records relate to the fatal shooting of a 35-year-old Ghanaian, Kwabena Boagen, at a barber shop near Nyanga Terminus on June 29.
According to South African authorities, investigators believe the shooting may have been connected to alleged extortion rather than anti-foreigner violence. Officials said they had found no evidence so far linking that case to the nationwide demonstrations and encouraged continued engagement through established diplomatic channels while investigations continue.
Competing accounts remain at the centre
Ghana identifies the victim as Bashiru Isak, aged 40, and says he was fatally shot in Khayelitsha during violence linked to the June 30 anti-immigration demonstrations.
South African investigators instead identify the deceased as Kwabena Boagen, aged 35, who they say was killed in Nyanga a day earlier in what police believe was an extortion-related shooting.
The differences over the victim’s identity, age, location, date of death and alleged motive now lie at the heart of the diplomatic dispute.
Anti-immigration protests add to concerns
The diplomatic row comes against a backdrop of growing concern over anti-immigration sentiment in South Africa.
Thousands of demonstrators marched through cities and townships on June 30, demanding tougher enforcement against undocumented migrants and the removal of those living in the country illegally. Authorities described the demonstrations as largely peaceful, although police reported incidents of looting, intimidation of some foreign nationals and numerous arrests linked to public order and immigration enforcement operations.
The latest dispute also follows public outrage in Ghana after a widely circulated video appeared to show a Ghanaian man being assaulted in South Africa, prompting formal protests from Accra and renewed calls for stronger protection of African migrants living in the country. Africa Briefing previously examined the diplomatic fallout in Ghana summons SA envoy over xenophobic attacks.
The wider anxiety is not limited to Ghana. Other African governments have also monitored the safety of their nationals in South Africa, with regional concerns reflected in Nigeria repatriates 1000 citizens amid South Africa tensions.
Diplomatic engagement continues
Despite the sharp disagreement, neither government has announced sanctions or other measures affecting bilateral relations, with both indicating they will continue engaging through official diplomatic channels.
For now, the circumstances surrounding the Ghanaian’s death remain disputed. South African police investigations are continuing, while Ghana says it will pursue the matter through diplomatic engagement and through the African Union as both governments seek to establish a definitive account of what happened.
