South African authorities have confirmed to Ghana’s High Commissioner that the perpetrators behind recent xenophobic attacks targeting Ghanaian nationals are known, and have pledged firm legal action, as both governments work to contain a diplomatic crisis that has unfolded rapidly over the past week.
High Commissioner Benjamin Kofi Quashie said he was summoned for a security briefing by South African officials, during which he received direct assurances on the status of the investigation. “They indicated that the perpetrators are known and that government will go to great lengths to ensure they are held accountable,” he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirmed on Saturday that the investigation has advanced beyond preliminary stages. “We have seen evidence that those persons in the vigilante group have been interviewed and investigations are ongoing,” he said, adding that South African officials had committed to strict sanctions for those found to have violated the law.
Ablakwa credited sustained diplomatic engagement for the progress, noting that he had personally telephoned South Africa’s Foreign Minister immediately after the videos went viral and had also summoned the Acting High Commissioner in Accra to register a formal protest. That summons, directed at Acting High Commissioner Thando Dalamba on April 23, 2026, followed the circulation of footage showing foreign nationals including Ghanaians being intimidated and harassed in parts of South Africa.
South Africa’s acting police minister Firoz Cachalia described xenophobic acts as unlawful and a violation of the country’s constitutional values, stating that those found participating in or inciting such violence would be identified, arrested and prosecuted.
While registering those assurances, Ablakwa used Saturday’s interviews to send an equally clear message in the other direction, pledging that Ghana would not allow reprisal action against South African nationals living and working in the country.
“There will be no reprisal attacks. Their businesses are free to operate,” the minister said, adding that the 3,194 documented South Africans resident in Ghana would continue to enjoy full protection under Ghanaian law. He said the approach reflected Ghana’s longstanding reputation for hospitality and its commitment to the safety of all foreign nationals within its borders.
Ghana has already committed to flying home Emmanuel Asamoah, the Ghanaian national at the centre of the viral confrontation in KwaZulu-Natal, covering all relocation costs following safety concerns arising from public exposure of his identity.
Diplomatic consultations between Accra and Pretoria are expected to continue as authorities in both countries work toward restoring calm and ensuring accountability for those behind the attacks.
