Xenophobic attacks: Abu Jinapor warns against retaliatory attacks on South Africans

Samuel Abu Jinapor, Member of Parliament for Damongo, cautioned against inflammatory rhetoric and retaliatory actions against South Africans living in Ghana and other African countries on Saturday, May 30, on JoyNews' Newsfile. He warned that such reactions could further deepen tensions arising from ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa, saying, "We also should be careful in the narrative and the discourse not to instigate a certain reaction which is very possible where South Africans, for example, are indiscriminately targeted here in Ghana and other parts of Africa."

Approximately 300 Ghanaians have been repatriated from South Africa, with authorities indicating that more evacuees are expected to arrive in the coming days. Mr. Jinapor condemned the attacks and called on South African authorities to take decisive action against those responsible. He argued that the issue may require intervention at the continental level, proposing that African leaders explore mechanisms through the African Union to address the recurring attacks, suggesting they "escalate it to the level of the African Union in terms of instituting sanctions against South Africa as a country and putting measures to deal with this situation."

Mr. Jinapor challenged explanations that attribute xenophobic violence solely to unemployment and economic hardship, observing that "the body politic in South Africa itself is problematic and the matter cannot be reduced to unemployment." He also suggested that concerns about the response of South African political leaders to xenophobic violence remain valid, saying "Constructive complicity from the government of the day is something that is a major legitimate point to raise."