JOHANNESBURG — South Africa on Saturday warned Ghana it would “not tolerate public spectacles” in the evacuations of Ghanaian citizens from the country over anti-immigrant tensions.
Ghana organised repatriation flights for hundreds of its nationals last month in response to a wave of protests and violence targeting foreigners in South Africa.
Ghana’s embassy in South Africa published a video of evacuees waving Ghanaian flags in the aircraft to mark the departure of the latest repatriation flight.
“Our initial hope was simply to assist the government of Ghana in repatriating its citizens in a humane and cordial manner,” South Africa’s foreign minister Ronald Lamola wrote on X, in response to a video of comments by his Ghanaian counterpart, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa.
“However, we will not continue to tolerate … public spectacles, characterised by incomplete information and outright misinformation devoid of any diplomatic decorum.”
A deeply disappointing interview, replete with misinformation.
— Minister: International Relations and Cooperation (@RonaldLamola) June 6, 2026
First, the claim that two Nigerians have been killed during the current wave of attacks remains entirely unsubstantiated by available information.
No Nigerian National
has been killed during the current waves of… https://t.co/mlkbMiJiAd pic.twitter.com/RxjJWB0OmL
South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, has long been a destination for both legal and undocumented African workers.
But saddled with an unemployment rate of more than 30 per cent, it has seen repeated spurts of xenophobic protests — including renewed violence in recent weeks.
A viral video showing the alleged assault of a Ghanaian man triggered outrage as it circulated widely on social media.
ALSO READ: Anti-migrant violence leaves even South Africans living in fear
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation this evening, Sunday 7 June, at 18:00 on the government’s management approach to illegal migration and the recent surge in protests against foreign nationals.
