South Africa has moved to contain xenophobia‑related fallout from the continent‑wide migration debate, dispatching President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special envoy to Ghana amid concerns over violence linked to irregular migration and attacks on foreign nationals.
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola confirmed the visit during a briefing on Sunday, saying the engagement with President John Mahama was aimed at reinforcing South Africa’s commitment to lawful, humane migration management and addressing fears triggered by recent incidents.
“I went to Accra, Ghana, as the Special Envoy of the President, and I was well received by President Mahama with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ghana and his delegation,” he said.
He said discussions reaffirmed the longstanding relationship between the two countries, which dates back to the struggle against apartheid.
Lamola said Ghana had raised concerns about violence associated with anti‑migrant protests in South Africa, including cases where individuals impersonated law‑enforcement officials and targeted foreign nationals.
He said South Africa assured Ghana that police were taking action, with arrests made for impersonation, looting and housebreaking, and that criminal cases involving Ghanaian nationals remained active before law‑enforcement authorities.
“There is action and there is work. It is not a situation of impunity,” he said.
The diplomatic outreach comes against the backdrop of long‑standing anti‑migrant sentiment in South Africa where periodic flare‑ups of xenophobic violence have seen nationals of other African countries attacked, displaced or forcibly ejected from communities.
These incidents have drawn criticism across the continent and prompted calls for South Africa to curb vigilantism and ensure migrants are protected under the law.
Lamola said South Africa welcomed ongoing African Union discussions on migration but insisted the debate must address the root causes of irregular movement rather than isolate individual countries.
He noted that both AU and Southern African Development Community migration protocols call for orderly, regular and legal migration, principles he said underpin South Africa’s approach.
He said South Africa receives the highest number of migrants on the continent, regular and irregular, and that migration pressures are also acute in North Africa where countries serve as both destinations and transit routes to Europe.
Lamola urged that the continental debate focus on economic hardship, unemployment, governance challenges, insecurity and climate impacts that drive people to leave their home countries.
Two Ghanaian nationals recently took the South African government to the International Criminal Court on allegations that the Pretoria authorities have failed to act on what they clained were crimes against humanity.
JN/APA