Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quarshie, has dismissed viral claims that Ghanaians have been killed in ongoing xenophobic attacks, insisting no such deaths have been recorded.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express with Evans Mensah, he said, “So the current xenophobic actions that are going on, nobody has lost their lives.”
His comments come amid heightened tensions and circulating reports online suggesting that foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, have been targeted and killed in parts of South Africa.
Mr Quarshie said official data available to the mission contradicts those claims. “The statistics are there; they’ve given it to us,” he stated.
He addressed a specific viral case involving a Ghanaian man reportedly killed in East London, clarifying the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“In fact, there was a story going round about a Ghanaian who had lost his life in East London… We went there yesterday on the instructions of the Foreign Affairs Minister,” he explained.
According to him, investigations revealed the death was unrelated to xenophobic violence. “We got to find out that the gentleman was stabbed to death by armed robbers, and it happened three weeks ago,” he said.
He disclosed that the case came to the authorities’ attention only weeks later.
“They just left his body there, and we only got to know after three weeks that the citizen had been stabbed to death,” he added.
The envoy said the Ghanaian government has since intervened at the highest level. “The Foreign Affairs Minister has officially asked them to open an investigation,” he noted.
He revealed that steps have been taken to ensure due process, including halting an attempted burial.
“In fact, they wanted to mass-bury the gentleman, but the Minister again gave instructions that the gentleman should not be buried until a full investigation is completed,” he said.
He stressed that authorities are seeking clarity and justice. “Until we know who killed him, why he was killed, and compensation given to his family,” he stated.
Mr Quarshie confirmed that the victim’s family in Ghana has been identified and contacted. “We’ve spoken to them. It has been a difficult one for them, because this is the breadwinner in the family,” he said.
Describing the circumstances of the killing, he added, “When you hear the story as to how they killed him, it’s really, really pathetic.”
Despite the incident, he maintained that it should not be conflated with xenophobic violence.
He also signalled a shift in how such cases are handled.
“But I’m sure that the era of Ghanaians or any other person being killed, and South African authorities just brushing it aside… that era is over,” he said.
He pledged sustained action from Ghana’s diplomatic mission.
“We would ensure there’s accountability. Will account for every single individual, be it Ghanaian, be it any African person,” he stated.
“Until justice is done, we will not stop,” he added.
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