Ghana has indefinitely postponed high-level bilateral meetings with South Africa scheduled for August 2026. The decision follows a severe surge in anti-migrant protests and violent unrest targeting foreign nationals across South African cities.
Ghanaian government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu announced that the ongoing xenophobic tensions would likely overshadow the upcoming agenda. The sessions were supposed to be co-chaired by both nations’ presidents in Accra.
“We sent them a communication indicating that it would be best to defer the visit in view of the present climate around xenophobia,” Kwakye Ofosu told the BBC, regarding the scheduled talks.
The diplomatic friction intensified following reports from Ghana’s foreign ministry that a Ghanaian citizen was shot dead during anti-immigrant demonstrations in Cape Town on June 30. South African police have contested the motive.
Amid escalating safety concerns, Ghana has already repatriated hundreds of its citizens from South Africa over the past few weeks. Viral videos targeting Ghanaian migrants have further inflamed public outrage in West Africa.
South Africa has experienced months of continuous protests against undocumented immigrants. Demonstrators blame foreign nationals for taking local jobs and depleting constrained public resources, leading to the looting of foreign-owned shops.
South African presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya stated that both nations will continue engaging through alternative diplomatic channels. “The two countries will continue to engage through diplomatic channels to identify a mutually convenient date,” he said.
