A killing in Cape Town has spiralled into one of the tensest diplomatic standoffs in recent memory between two of Africa’s closest allies. Ghana says 40-year-old national Bashiru Isak was shot dead in Khayelitsha amid anti-immigrant demonstrations in South Africa, and has demanded a full investigation, going as far as cancelling a planned state visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa over the matter.
South Africa isn’t having it. Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says police records show the victim was actually killed a day earlier, in an armed robbery at a barbershop unconnected to the protests, and has accused Ghana of spreading “false information.” Things escalated further when the South African Presidency publicly accused both Ghana and Nigeria of running a coordinated misinformation campaign to paint the country as xenophobic — naming Ghana’s High Commissioner directly in the process.
The row comes at a sensitive time, with anti-immigrant sentiment on the rise in parts of South Africa and neighbouring governments increasingly vocal about the safety of their citizens there. Whether the two nations patch things up before Ramaphosa’s rescheduled visit remains to be seen — but for now, the war of words shows no signs of cooling off.
