Ghana has summoned South Africa’s top diplomat in Accra to protest what it calls a disturbing pattern of xenophobic incidents targeting Ghanaian nationals and other African migrants.

The move follows the circulation of online videos showing foreign nationals being harassed in South African communities, including a widely shared clip from KwaZulu-Natal in which a Ghanaian man, reportedly a legal resident, is confronted by locals and told to leave South Africa and “fix his country.”

Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa condemned the episodes as “extremely disturbing xenophobic attacks,” warning that such conduct undermines decades of pan-African solidarity and cooperation. He said the treatment of law-abiding migrants “cannot be reconciled with the ideals that inspired African nations to stand together against apartheid and colonialism.”

During a formal meeting in Accra with South Africa’s acting high commissioner Thando Dalamba, Ablakwa delivered a diplomatic protest note and demanded assurances that Ghanaian citizens will be protected. He reminded Pretoria of Ghana’s historic support for South Africa’s liberation struggle and stressed that harassment of foreign Africans “runs counter to the principles of African unity and mutual respect.”

Ablakwa also held a telephone conversation with South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola, after which Ghanaian officials said Pretoria had pledged “full scale investigations” into the reported incidents and closer monitoring of hotspots where tensions between locals and migrants have flared.

South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, hosts more than three million foreign nationals, about 5.1 percent of its population, according to official statistics. Over 63 percent are from neighbouring states in the Southern African Development Community, drawn by relatively better job prospects and public services.

Yet with unemployment entrenched above 30 percent, foreign workers are frequently scapegoated for economic hardship. Periodic waves of anti-migrant protests and sporadic violence have erupted in townships and informal settlements, often fuelled by populist rhetoric and disinformation about crime and jobs.

South Africa’s acting police minister Firoz Cachalia has publicly denounced the latest incidents, insisting that attacks on foreign nationals are unlawful and violate constitutional guarantees of dignity and equality. He said security forces have been instructed to act decisively against “xenophobia, violence, looting or intimidation.”

South Africa’s border management agency recently reported intercepting more than 530,000 people attempting to enter the country irregularly since mid-2022, underscoring the scale of regional migration pressures that continue to test both domestic politics and diplomatic relations across the continent.