Key facts
- Ghana claims national Bashiru Isak was killed during anti-migrant protests in Cape Town.
- South African officials deny the claims, stating no record of the incident linked to protests.
- Police are investigating a separate killing of another Ghanaian national, Kwabena Boagen, in Nyanga.
- Ghana has lodged a formal protest and demanded an investigation and prosecution.
- Rising anti-migrant sentiment and high unemployment are noted factors in South Africa.
A diplomatic dispute has emerged between South Africa and Ghana following reports of a Ghanaian national's death during anti-migrant protests in Cape Town. Ghana's Foreign Affairs ministry stated it received reports of Bashiru Isak, 40, being shot dead on Tuesday and has sent a formal protest note, demanding a full investigation and prosecution.
South African officials have denied the claims, with the justice minister expressing concern over Ghana communicating false information. The South African police stated they have no record of the specific incident in Khayelitsha as alleged by Ghana, though they are investigating the killing of another Ghanaian, 35-year-old Kwabena Boagen, in a different township, Nyanga, which they linked to extortion-related crime. Police noted Boagen lived in Khayelitsha but worked in Nyanga, where the crime occurred.
Clayson Monyela, a South African foreign ministry official, described the link between Isak's death and anti-migrant protests as a "fabricated tale." He added that Tuesday's protests were largely peaceful, resulting in about 900 arrests, primarily for immigration offenses and looting. Ghana's ministry emphasized that the taking of any life is unacceptable and urged South Africa to uphold its international obligations to protect foreign nationals.
Isak, reportedly a tailor who had lived in South Africa for two decades, was allegedly approached at his shop by individuals who accused him of taking South African jobs before shooting him. Plans are underway to repatriate his body to Ghana. The incident occurs against a backdrop of rising anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa, which faces high unemployment, and a recent wave of repatriations of citizens from countries like Ghana, Malawi, and Nigeria.