Be alert! Ghana’s South Africa mission to citizens on fresh xenophobic threats

The Ghana High Commission in South Africa has cautioned Ghanaians resident in South Africa to “be cautious and avoid places that are prone to violence.”

This follows recent threats on social media of renewed xenophobic attacks on non-South Africans.

A statement released on Monday, 2 September 2019 by the High Commission in South Africa said: “The High Commissioner, George Ayisi-Boateng, had a telephone conversation with some leaders of Ghanaian associations over the weekend in response to threats on social media of a proposed attack on foreign nationals in South Africa”.

The mission reiterated the advice given to “leaders of the Ghanaian associations through the said telephone conversation that Ghanaians in South Africa should be cautious and avoid places that are prone to violence.” It also urged Ghanaians resident in South Africa to “communicate early signals and potential threats to their leadership as well as the Pretoria mission and the police” and further called on all Ghanaians living in and around perceived hotspots to be “on the alert, watch and monitor movements of suspicious assailants”.

Meanwhile, the Ghana mission says: "It is engaging with other diplomatic missions and the government of the Republic of South Africa to seek ways of finding a permanent solution to the unfortunate recurrence of attacks on foreign nationals in the country."