The Government of Ghana is calling on South African authorities to immediately arrest and prosecute its citizens responsible for the shooting and killing of a 40-year-old Ghanaian during an anti-immigrant protests in South Africa.
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, condemned the killing and indicated that the deceased, Bashiru, was shot dead at Khayelitsha in Cape Town on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, during demonstrations linked to xenophobic attacks against foreigners.
The protests coincided with a deadline set by anti immigrant groups for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa.
The campaign, led principally by a movement known as March and March, had in recent months organised demonstrations in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town, demanding the removal of undocumented migrants from the country by June 30.
In the statement, the Ministry described the incident as a senseless act of violence, and condemned what it described as xenophobic attacks directed at African indigenes, including Ghanaians residing in South Africa.
It said the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria, acting on instructions from the Government of Ghana, had formally lodged a protest with South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation and subsequently filed a complaint with the South African Police Service.
According to the statement, the High Commission had confirmed the identity of the deceased and informed his family before an autopsy was conducted at the request of the Government of Ghana.
It added that arrangements are underway to repatriate the Isak’s remains to Ghana for burial.
The Ministry has called for a full, transparent and swift investigation into the incident to bring the perpetrators to justice and appealed to the South African authorities to provide protection for Ghanaians and other foreign nationals living in affected communities.
The statement also noted that Ghana’s petition to the African Union Commission on xenophobic attacks against African nationals in South Africa remains active and expressed the expectation that the matter would be considered at the Commission’s next statutory meeting.
Ghanaians who remain in South Africa and did not participate in the government’s repatriation exercise have been advised to remain vigilant, avoid unsafe areas and contact the Ghana High Commission through its emergency lines whenever necessary.
Xenophobic attacks: Critics should now appreciate Ghana’s swift intervention – Ablakwa
