The South African government has expressed its concerns regarding statements made by Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the death of a Ghanaian citizen in Cape Town, asserting that the incident has been inaccurately portrayed.
In a statement released on Thursday, July 2, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, who also leads the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration, declared that the Ghanaian narrative was “factually incorrect” and lacked support from police investigations.
Earlier, Ghana’s authorities had reported that a Ghanaian national was fatally injured on June 30 during anti-immigrant protests associated with ongoing xenophobic violence.
However, the South African government dismissed this account, clarifying that the victim was assaulted at his workplace on June 29 in what police believe to be a criminal act unrelated to any protests.
According to the Western Cape Police, the deceased was shot at a barbershop in Nyanga, where unidentified assailants reportedly entered, demanded money, and shot him before escaping the scene.
Police further indicated that the motive is suspected to be related to extortion, and investigations are currently underway to apprehend the suspects.
Minister Kubayi expressed concern that Ghanaian officials continued to disseminate what she termed as inaccurate information regarding events in South Africa.
“The Ghanaian national who was fatally wounded was attacked at his place of work on Monday, 29 June 2026, in an incident that the police suspect as a criminal act, which is totally not linked to the alleged demonstrations,” she stated.
She also pointed out that no fatalities had been reported during the demonstrations, emphasising that isolated criminal incidents were being addressed by law enforcement.
Kubayi urged that diplomatic issues be managed through official channels, highlighting the importance of accurate communication between the two nations.
“We regret all loss of life on our shores and would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased and assure them that our law enforcement authorities will investigate this matter and bring the perpetrators to book,” she added.
The South African government has also dismissed claims that the incident is indicative of xenophobic violence, asserting that the proliferation of what it termed false narratives is intolerable and does not represent the nation’s stance.
Investigations by the police into the homicide are still in progress.
