Protesters sing and chant during a protest march against undocumented migrants in Estcourt yesterday. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has condemned xenophobic incidents, saying attacks on foreign nationals were "unlawful" and violated the country's constitutional values of dignity and equality.
Image: RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP
Ghana has summoned South Africa's envoy over several "xenophobic incidents", including one in which a legal Ghanaian migrant was asked to return home and "fix his country".
Videos online have circulated in recent days showing Ghanaians and other migrants being harassed.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia condemned the incidents on Friday, saying attacks on foreign nationals were "unlawful" and violated the country's constitutional values of dignity and equality.
"Acts of xenophobia, violence, looting, or intimidation will not be tolerated under any circumstances," he said, adding that police have "been instructed to act decisively and without hesitation in addressing these incidents".
Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa spoke of an incident in the southeastern KZN in which a Ghanaian, "a legal resident was confronted... (and) instructed to leave South Africa and 'fix his country'", the foreign ministry said.
It also further warned of "escalating tensions, with foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, being advised to remain indoors for their safety".
In his meeting with South Africa's acting high commissioner Thando Dalamba, Ablakwa "underscored... Ghana's support for the anti-apartheid struggle" and "emphasised that the unprovoked harassment and attacks on law-abiding individuals are contrary to the principles of African solidarity".
There are more than three million foreigners living in South Africa, or 5.1 percent of the population, Stats SA. More than 63 percent come from the Southern African Development Community.