‘We have no malice against South Africa’ – Ghana’s Mahama

Mahama

Cape Town – Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama says South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent a delegation to Ghana to discuss recent xenophobic attacks targeting Ghanaian citizens in South Africa, as Ghana prepares to raise the issue at the next African Union (AU) summit.

Speaking during bilateral talks on the sidelines of the AU Extraordinary Summit in Accra, Mahama said Ghana bears no ill will towards South Africa, but believes the matter must be openly discussed at a continental level rather than ignored.

He said Ghana had requested that the issue be placed on the agenda of the AU meeting that had been scheduled to take place in Egypt. Although that summit was postponed, Ghana intends to table the matter at the next available opportunity.

“The AU should take an interest in this issue because it has the potential to wreck everything that we have worked for – African solidarity, African integration and all that.”

Mahama confirmed that Ramaphosa had dispatched a delegation to engage with him on the matter.

“President Ramaphosa sent a delegation to me yesterday. We met with them, and I explained the reason why it was important for us to discuss it.”

He said Ghana was not seeking to target South Africa, but rather to create a platform for dialogue and accountability.

“Ghana, we don’t have any malice against South Africa, but we’re raising it as an issue for discussion to even give South Africa the opportunity to take that platform of the continental body and explain what they are doing to the world about the xenophobic attacks.”

Mahama also expressed concern over what he described as an inadequate response by South African authorities to the violence.

“It doesn’t appear that the South African authorities are responding to the magnitude that one would expect them to do. The persons who are fanning these xenophobic attacks are known, and they have been left free to continue to do what they want to do. And so it’s become something they are doing with impunity.”

The Ghanaian president further revealed that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has endorsed Ghana’s petition to the AU regarding the attacks.

He said Ghana remains deeply concerned about reports that some African nationals, including Ghanaians and Nigerians, have lost their lives during the anti-migrant protests, while many others have been subjected to fear and intimidation.

“Ghana welcomes the decision of the Authority of Heads of State of ECOWAS to fully endorse and support Ghana’s petition at the African Union for the matter to be addressed at the next AU mid-year summit.”

Mahama added that Africa’s history of unity and collective struggle should not be undermined by intolerance.

“African liberation was achieved through solidarity across our borders. We must never permit that proud legacy to be weakened by intolerance by a small group of people.”

Meanwhile, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, has dismissed efforts by Ghanaian individuals to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying the case falls outside the court’s jurisdiction.

Responding to a question from an SABC News reporter, Lamola said South Africa’s domestic legal system is fully capable of dealing with the matter.

“With regards to the case that has been taken to the ICC, it lacks the jurisdiction because it does not meet the requirements of the principle of complementarity, that the domestic courts must be the first call.”

Lamola said there was no evidence that the South African state had supported unlawful conduct or vigilante groups, describing the incidents as actions by individuals acting outside the law.

“This has just been individuals who have taken the law into their own hands, but also in terms of South African law, this is illegal. And that’s why the police are acting on it.”

He said South Africa has sufficient legal mechanisms to address hate crimes and discrimination, including legislation criminalising hate speech, the Equality Court and an independent judiciary.

“Our response to that is that it is premature, it’s not ripe for these kind of actions because our domestic capabilities, our independent judiciary, is able to handle these matters in the domestic courts of South Africa.”

Picture: X/@JDMahama

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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi

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