Ghana wants justice served after citizen gunned down in Cape Town

A married father of three who has lived in South Africa for 20 years was shot dead during this week’s anti-immigrant protests.

The citizen of Ghana was named by his government as Bashiru Isak.

The 40-year-old was attacked at his tailoring business in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.

Ghanaian foreign affairs minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the government had learnt of the murder with profound shock and sadness.

“The government of Ghana condemns, in the strongest terms, this senseless act of violence and the rising tide of xenophobia targeting African nationals, including Ghanaians, in South Africa.

“The taking of any life is unacceptable, and those responsible must be brought to justice without delay.

“Ghana demands from the South African authorities a full, transparent and expedited investigation leading to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators.”

Ablakwa urged South African authorities to ensure enhanced protection for foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, in affected communities.

Ghana previously submitted a petition to the African Union (AU), urging a fact-finding mission and regional intervention against rising xenophobia.

In the latest statement, the foreign ministry said: “Our formal petition on xenophobic attacks against African nationals in South Africa remains active, and we expect the AU to treat the matter with the urgency it demands at its next statutory meeting.”

Last month, international relations minister Ronald Lamola responded to the petition by reiterating a commitment to upholding human rights.

“We should never allow the legitimate concerns of our communities about illegal migration to breed prejudice towards our fellow Africans. We must not allow these concerns to give rise to xenophobia, directed towards people from other African countries or other parts of the world. Instead, we must insist that the law be upheld and enforced.”

At the same time, he said migration should be managed as a Pan-African issue.

For its part, the South African government is in the process of improving the state’s capacity to manage immigration through a number of interventions, said Lamola.

The proposed measures include:

• Economic protection through a points-based visa system to ensure migration supports national development.
• Compliance and sovereignty via an “intelligent population register” to guarantee that entry is legal, documented and merit-based.
• Border Management Authority (BMA): since April 2023, the BMA has deported 500,000 people. Steps are being taken to demolish and rebuild South Africa’s six busiest land ports of entry as part of a transformative public-private partnership.
• Shared responsibility: South Africa is calling for a regional system of refugee protection “where compassion is matched by administrative capacity, ensuring that there is dignity for those in need without overwhelming any single state”.

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