Condemnation of xenophobic attacks against African foreigners in South Africa - United Cadres Front
The United Cadres Front, Tema Sub-Region, condemns in the strongest possible terms the ongoing xenophobic attacks and barbaric mistreatment being meted out to African foreign nationals in parts of South Africa.
We are deeply disturbed by credible reports of violent assaults, looting of shops, forced evictions, and intimidation targeting foreigners, including Ghanaians. These acts are not isolated criminality. When mobs single out fellow Africans for violence because of their nationality, it is xenophobia—plain and simple. It betrays the solidarity that liberated the continent from colonialism and apartheid.
The focus must remain on these ongoing attacks. The recent evacuation of Ghanaian national Emmanuel Asamoah on 5th May 2026, following a violent confrontation captured in a viral video, confirms that Ghanaians remain at risk today. Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria has since issued a public advisory urging citizens to limit non-essential movement due to “recent xenophobic attacks and anti-immigration protests” in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
We remind South Africans and the world of the debt owed to the rest of Africa. During the darkest years of apartheid, Ghana opened its doors, provided diplomatic backing, and mobilized material and moral support for the liberation struggle. Ghanaian resources, training, and voice were committed to ensuring that South Africans could walk free and proud in their own land. For that history to now be repaid with mob violence and the targeting of Ghanaian citizens is an insult to every African who fought and sacrificed for liberation.
This concern is shared across the continent. On 6th May 2026, the Nigerian Senate condemned the wave of attacks, describing them as “baric, unlawful and inconsistent with African brotherhood”. The Senate resolved to send a joint National Assembly delegation to South Africa, demanded a full investigation and prosecution of perpetrators, and urged the AU and ECOWAS to enforce stronger protections for African citizens abroad. Nigeria has also repatriated citizens following the deaths of two Nigerians in recent incidents.
The United Cadres Front, Tema Sub-Region, calls on:
1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana to make the protection of Ghanaians in South Africa its top priority. Immediate diplomatic engagement must be pursued to secure safety guarantees, accountability for perpetrators, and compensation for victims.
2. The African Union to invoke its mandate on peace, security, and human rights without delay. The AU must dispatch a fact-finding mission, pressure the South African government to enforce the rule of law, and initiate continental measures to prevent recurrence. Silence is complicity.
African unity is not a slogan for summits. It is a covenant paid for in blood and sacrifice. If we fail to defend African lives in Africa, we betray that covenant.
We stand in solidarity with all African foreign nationals under attack in South Africa. We demand immediate action, swift justice, and a public commitment from the South African authorities to end these inhumane acts.
Signed,
Oliver Agbenyo Ahiafor – Chairman – 0531675728
David Posh Aggrey - Secretary – 0554358565
United Cadres Front – Tema Sub-Region
