The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s condemnation of recent xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals, describing his intervention as a long-awaited response to growing concerns over the safety of African migrants in the country.
In an address on June 7, 2026, Ramaphosa rejected claims that South Africans are inherently xenophobic and reaffirmed that the values of tolerance, diversity, and peaceful coexistence remain central to South African society.
His remarks come amid heightened concern over attacks and tensions involving foreign nationals living in South Africa, developments that have prompted several African countries, including Ghana, to evacuate some of their citizens.
Speaking to Citi News, Media Relations Officer at Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fred Duhoe, welcomed the South African leader’s comments but called for concrete action against those responsible for the attacks.
“We welcome his stance because it has been long overdue. We expected him to make emphatic statements condemning these acts,” Duhoe said.
“But beyond that, we believe he must take a further step by directing security and law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to book because they are still threatening to enforce their June 30 deadline,” he added.
Asked whether the Ghanaian government plans additional evacuations from South Africa, Duhoe said authorities are assessing the situation after completing three evacuation exercises.
“We’ve conducted three successful evacuations. We want to take stock of what we have done so far and assess the situation so that if there is a need for a fourth evacuation, we will undertake it,” he said.
“At the moment, we are considering the extent to which the government can intervene when individuals voluntarily request evacuation,” he added.
Ghana has already evacuated three groups of nationals from South Africa in response to the security concerns, while authorities continue to monitor developments and evaluate the need for further assistance.
