President John Dramani Mahama has urged the African Union (AU) to take the lead in addressing xenophobic attacks on African nationals in South Africa.
During a meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssou, at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, July 22, the President said the recurring attacks on African nationals in South Africa could pose a serious threat to continental integration.
“As the continental body, the AU should take an interest in this issue because it has the potential to wreck everything we have worked for, African solidarity, African integration, and all that,” he said.
The President noted that Ghana has borne significant financial costs in evacuating its citizens from South Africa due to the violence.
“At very high cost to us, we had to charter planes to go to South Africa to evacuate our citizens. We operated three charter flights,” he disclosed.
The President was also critical of the South African government’s handling of the attacks, alleging that those responsible for the violence have continued to act without facing consequences
“It doesn’t appear that the South African authorities are responding with the magnitude that one would expect them to do. The persons who are fanning these xenophobic attacks are known, and they have been left free to continue to do what they want to do. It has become something they are doing with impunity,” Mahama added.
According to the President, he met with a delegation sent by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and highlighted the importance of discussing the situation.
“President Ramaphosa sent a delegation to me yesterday. We met with them, and I explained the reason why it is important for us to discuss it. Sometimes these things happen and we want to sweep them under the carpet, but when we do that, we rather do not cure what the problem is,” he said.
President Mahama stressed that Ghana’s decision to raise the issue should not be interpreted as hostility towards South Africa but rather as an effort to promote openness and encourage a lasting solution.
“I told them Ghana doesn’t harbor any malice against South Africa. We are raising it as an issue for discussion to even give South Africa the opportunity to take that platform of the continental body and explain to the world what they are doing about these xenophobic attacks,” he added.
