The Ghanaian government has declined a planned state visit by South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, citing concerns over the killing of a Ghanaian national and reports of renewed xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in South Africa.
The decision follows the death of 40-year-old Bashiru Isak, who Ghanaian authorities say was shot and killed during demonstrations linked to anti-immigrant violence in South Africa on June 30, 2026.
According to a Citinewsroom report citing government sources, the planned visit, which was expected to take place during the first week of August, has been put on hold as Ghana seeks assurances over the safety of its citizens living in South Africa and calls for urgent action to address the reported attacks.
The government has also lodged a formal protest with South African authorities over the death of Mr Isak and broader concerns about the security of Ghanaians residing in the country.
According to Ghanaian officials, Mr Isak was shot during what they described as anti-immigrant demonstrations linked to ongoing xenophobic attacks in the Khayelitsha township of Cape Town.
South African authorities have, however, rejected Ghana’s account of the incident, describing the claims as “factually incorrect” and insisting they are not supported by the facts.
The South African government maintained that no deaths were recorded during the June 30 demonstrations, which drew thousands of protesters in parts of the country.
South Africa’s Justice Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, said Ghana’s description of the incident was misleading and risked creating a false impression of the country.
“It is concerning that Ghanaian authorities continue to communicate false information about South Africa regarding developments on irregular migration,” she said in a statement.
“The spread of false information to perpetuate the false narrative that South Africa is xenophobic is unacceptable,” she added.
Despite longstanding diplomatic relations and cooperation in areas including trade, investment and regional affairs, the incident has strained relations between Ghana and South Africa, with both governments maintaining conflicting accounts of the events surrounding Mr Isak’s death.