SA blocks Ghana’s attempt to put xenophobic violence on African Union agenda

South Africa has thwarted a bid by Ghana to place xenophobic violence in the country on the agenda for the African Union’s Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in October.

Ghana raised the issue on Wednesday during an AU Executive Council meeting of foreign ministers in Addis Ababa. However, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, pushed back against the proposal. He argued that rather than singling out South Africa, the AU should hold a broader discussion on continental migration patterns.

South Africa has been pushing all along for a broader discussion, not only to include more countries but also to discuss what it calls the push-pull factors — essentially poor political and economic conditions in other countries that drive their people to flee and head for South Africa and other countries.

Daily Maverick was told that the Executive Council had turned down Ghana’s proposal, which means that SA will not be under the spotlight at the mid-year meeting in Alamein, Egypt. Ghana has been the most vociferous critic of anti-immigrant protests and xenophobic attacks in SA. It repatriated several hundred of its citizens from SA, and on 25 July announced the start of the next phase to evacuate about another 1,000.

It is not now clear when the AU discussion on migration will take place or the scope of it. Last week Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama posted on X that he had “secured a commitment from AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf to place the ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa on the agenda of the next AU Summit.”

That was taken to refer to the next ordinary summit in Addis Ababa in February 2027. So Ghana’s proposal at the Executive Council on Wednesday for xenophobic violence in South Africa to be discussed at the mid-term meeting came as a surprise. Only a handful of African leaders are scheduled to attend that meeting.

And in any case, SA’s proposal for a broader discussion seems to require a special summit dedicated to the issue of migration on some date yet to be determined. The idea has been around for many years.

Mahama added in his X post, “Bringing the issue before the AU gives South Africa a fair platform to respond and gives us all a chance to find lasting solutions together.”

Lamola used the opportunity of the Executive Council meeting in Addis Ababa to meet several of his African counterparts and to convey SA’s perspectives on the migration issue, said his spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri.

He continued the work he had begun as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special envoy on migration, visiting Mahama last week and Nigeria’s deputy foreign minister, Sola Enikanolaiye, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, this week.

Enikanolaiye said he had expressed deep concern over the continued violence against Nigerian and other African migrants in South Africa. On Tinubu’s directive, he told Lamola “that at least 98 Nigerians have been killed since 2022 in mob attacks, hate-related violence and extrajudicial killings” in South Africa.

He urged South Africa “to strengthen protection for foreign nationals, ensure accountability for perpetrators and prevent future attacks”.

Phiri said Enikanolaiye had handed Lamola a list of 98 Nigerians whom he said had been killed and Lamola had passed it on to the SA Police Service to be investigated.

Lamola noted that he had raised three areas of concern that had heightened recent tensions between the two countries.

One was, “The purported installation of an unrecognised traditional ruler, titled an ‘Igbo King’, in the Eastern Cape Province in March 2026 caused widespread public concern across South Africa.”

Drug trafficking

Lamola also raised concerns about the involvement of foreign nationals, including Nigerian citizens, in organised crime, drug trafficking and financial fraud. He noted that as of 7 July, more than 500 Nigerian nationals had been processed through the South African criminal justice system for various offences, highlighting the need for enhanced cross-border security cooperation.

He also addressed instances where law enforcement officers “faced violent resistance or obstruction during criminal investigations. Specific concern was raised regarding hijacked residential and commercial properties in urban centres such as Hillbrow [Johannesburg] and Sunnyside [Pretoria], where unlawful enclaves have compromised public safety for local residents and foreign nationals alike.

“Regrettably, these incidents have fuelled negative perceptions surrounding Nigerian nationals living in South Africa over the years. Addressing these challenges firmly, fairly, and within the bounds of the law is vital for the wellbeing of both our nations,” he said.

Lamola added that both countries had reviewed feedback regarding the processing and arrest of more than 500 Nigerian nationals in South Africa.

“The Nigerian delegation acknowledged the necessity of holding lawbreakers accountable, while emphasising the importance of guaranteeing constitutional due process, fair trial standards and humane treatment for all detainees,” said Lamola.

He condemned all forms of xenophobia and emphasised that “law enforcement remains the exclusive prerogative of the state. While South Africa will not tolerate criminal activity by any individual regardless of nationality, we equally will not permit vigilante action or xenophobic violence against foreign nationals residing in our country. To this end, arrests have taken place, and relevant investigations are still under way.” DM