South Africa rejects Ghana, Nigeria bid to internationalise xenophobia dispute

South Africa has rejected a Ghana-Nigeria push to take xenophobic attacks against African migrants to the African Union, warning efforts to isolate Pretoria will fail. (Photo: Rogan Ward/REUTERS via DW)

By Mwangi Maina
Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Listen to article

4 min listen

Audio reading is not supported on this browser.

Ready

Thanks for listening. Continue with a related story, or tap the speaker icon on the next page to listen.

Issakaba: What a 1999 Nollywood classic reveals about Nigeria’s security crisis today

The Conversation · 3 hours ago

Latest Stories

The remarks came after Ghana announced at the ECOWAS mid-year summit in Sierra Leone that member states had backed its proposal to raise the issue with the African Union.

Earlier, Ghana and Nigeria issued a joint statement committing to work together to push for an AU discussion on what they described as Afrophobic attacks in South Africa.

The two countries also called for stronger continental cooperation through early warning systems and preventive diplomacy to protect African migrants.

If AU member states adopt the proposal, the issue would move beyond bilateral diplomacy and become a formal agenda item for African leaders.

While Ghana first championed the proposal, Nigeria’s endorsement has added weight to the initiative, giving it the backing of two of West Africa’s most influential states.

Pretoria, however, insists the campaign is misguided.

“What Ghana and Nigeria will not succeed in doing is to use the challenge of illegal migration as an instrument to isolate South Africa from the rest of the continent,” Magwenya said.

“That campaign will fail as it is faltering even now.”

Relations have become increasingly strained in recent weeks following renewed anti-illegal migration protests in South Africa and criticism from several African governments over attacks on foreign nationals.

Last week, the South African Presidency accused Ghana, and to a lesser extent Nigeria, of leading a campaign to portray Pretoria as increasingly isolated on the continent.

Magwenya said South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation had formally conveyed its concerns to Ghana’s High Commissioner.