Pratt weighs in on calls to target SA businesses amid attacks on African migrants

Veteran journalist, Kwesi Pratt, has urged restraint in calls for retaliatory action against South Africa, saying African countries should consider their shared history before escalating diplomatic disputes.

Pratt questioned proposals to expel South Africa’s ambassador or target South African businesses.

“Expel the South African ambassador, to what purpose? What do you gain by expelling the South African ambassador?” he asked.

He also criticised suggestions that businesses linked to South Africa should be targeted.

“We want to behave like the South Africans. And if we all behave like the South Africans, what moral authority do we then have to condemn xenophobia?” he said on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana.

Pratt argued that many of Africa’s national boundaries originated during the 1884 Berlin Conference and should not overshadow the continent’s shared identity.

He also referenced Ghana’s 1960 Constitution, saying it reflected a commitment to African integration over narrow national interests.

“In the 1960 Republican Constitution of Ghana, Ghana made it a point that it was ready to sacrifice its sovereignty for the collective sovereignty of Africa,” he said.

Pratt further cited historical examples, including Ghana’s Aliens Compliance Order and Nigeria’s later expulsion of Ghanaians, arguing that several African countries have experienced similar episodes.

According to him, these historical experiences should encourage dialogue and cooperation rather than retaliation whenever tensions arise between African states.