The South African government has disputed claims by Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that a Ghanaian national was killed during anti-immigrant demonstrations in Cape Town, insisting that the incident has been misrepresented.
In a statement issued on Thursday, July 2, South Africa’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration, described the account provided by the Ghanaian authorities as “factually incorrect” and inconsistent with police investigations.
The Ghanaian government had earlier indicated that a Ghanaian citizen was fatally wounded on June 30 amid anti-immigrant protests linked to alleged xenophobic attacks in parts of South Africa.
However, the South African government said police investigations show the victim was attacked a day earlier, on June 29, at his workplace in Nyanga, Cape Town, in what is believed to be a criminal act unrelated to the demonstrations.
According to the Western Cape Police, unknown armed men entered a barbershop where the victim was working, demanded money and shot him before fleeing the scene.
Police believe the attack was linked to extortion and said investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest those responsible.
“The Ghanaian national who was fatally wounded was attacked at his place of work on Monday, 29 June 2026, in an incident that the police suspect as a criminal act, which is totally not linked to the alleged demonstrations,” Minister Kubayi stated.
She added that no deaths had been recorded in connection with the anti-immigrant demonstrations, stressing that isolated criminal incidents occurring during the period should not be conflated with the protests.
The Minister expressed concern over what she described as the continued dissemination of inaccurate information by the Ghanaian authorities and urged that such matters be addressed through established diplomatic channels.
“We regret all loss of life on our shores and would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased and assure them that our law enforcement authorities will investigate this matter and bring the perpetrators to book,” she said.
The South African government also rejected suggestions that the killing was an act of xenophobic violence, maintaining that available evidence does not support such a conclusion.
Police investigations into the shooting remain ongoing.
READ ALSO:
CDD-Ghana petitions CHRAJ over alleged assault of Nyinahin SHS student
Indiscipline hindering Ghana’s development – Ahafo GPCC Chairman
