Lord Mawuko-Yevugah, an international relations expert, has condemned the South African government for standing idly by as its citizens attack other nationals without finding a solution to the recurring violence which has become an annual issue.
He says the xenophobic attacks have persisted in South Africa since 2008, with many condemning the lack of effort from the government to end the attacks despite the condemnation of the act across the continent.
His comments come on the back of a recent viral video on social media where dozens of South Africans are found physically assaulting some foreigners and harassing others, including Ghanaians.
According to the residents, these foreigners have taken over their jobs and are calling for job opportunities to be prioritised for locals.
Commenting on the development, Mawuko-Yevugah indicated that every country is guided by rules and regulations, and expected the South Africans to allow their immigration officials to address the issue of illegal immigrants, if any, rather than taking the law into their hands to assault them.
“Every country has rules and regulations that govern the way they treat both legal and illegal migrants so it is not in order for South African citizens to take law into their hands, even if the individual does not have the requisite papers, the appropriate authorities are there to take them on and find a way out of it,” he said on Ghana Tonight on TV3 Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
The international relations expert called on the South African government to be up and doing in finding a lasting solution to the issue since it has been recurring.
“It is not the duty of ordinary citizens to take the law into their own hands and start attacking people. That is why the South African government would have to do something.
“These things started as far back as 2008 and every year, we see these incidents where innocent black people are being attacked,” he stated, adding that there are established institutions to tackle such issues rather than it being handled by the citizens.
“If they don’t have papers, then immigration people should round them up and deport them instead of ordinary citizens taking the law into their own hands.”
He added that the practice is paralleled with modern practices. “That is not the way to go in a civilised country.”
Meanwhile, some residents of Mthathi are set to embark on a demonstration today, with the Ghanaian community in the area advised to stay indoors until the tensions come down.
