Xenophobic attacks: Stop the rhetoric and punish perpetrators - Adwoa Safo

The Deputy Majority Leader of the Parliament of Ghana, Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo, has urged the Republic of South Africa to commit themselves into action by doing more to end the xenophobic attacks on their fellow African migrants.

She said the situation in South Africa is so disturbing that anyone travelling to the Rainbow Nation now lives in fear.

"Even our families are now living in fear when you are sent with a delegation to South Africa to perform a task on behalf of our respective countries", she noted.

According to her, it was so strange to see South Africa indulge in such dastardly acts against their fellow African nationals when the rest of the African continent solidly stood behind them during the apartheid era.

The xenophobic attacks in South Africa, she noted, must end now, calling on authorities of the Rainbow Nation to move away from the rhetoric and punish perpetrators of such criminal act by making them face the full rigours of the law to serve as a deterrent to others with ulterior motives.

She also called on other Africa countries whose citizens are affected by the xenophobic attacks in South Africa to exercise restraint and circumspection in order to preserve the unity and integrity of Africa as captured in Article 5(e) of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Constitution which seeks to “promote peace, unity, democracy, good governance and stability in all member states”

Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo who is also the Minister of State In-Charge of Public Procurement made this call on Thursday, September 5, 2019, when addressing the 50th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Africa Region, in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Her comments was provoked by the House having deliberated on recent xenophobic attacks on other African migrants in South Africa resulting in loss of lives and properties.



The Region condemned in the strongest terms these acts and further urged the South African government to punish perpetrators of this criminality.

Hon. Adwoa Safo who is the first female to have held the position of deputy Majority Leader, Parliament of Ghana, chaired the Resolutions Committee and drafted the Special Resolution of the 50th Commonwealth CPA, Africa Region.

On the delegation from Ghana was Hon. Joe Osei Owusu, 1st Deputy Speaker; Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Majority Leader and Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo, Deputy Majority Leader.

Others are Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader; Hon. Moses Anim, 1st Deputy Majority Whip; Hon. Collins Amankwa, MP, Manhyia North Constituency and Hon. Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, MP, Shai-Osudoku Constituency.