Ghana has formally summoned South Africa's acting high commissioner over a wave of anti-foreigner harassment and violence, in a diplomatic rebuke that signals growing concern across Africa about the treatment of migrants in South Africa. The move came after videos circulated widely on social media showing vigilante groups confronting, intimidating, and in some cases physically attacking people they suspected of being in the country illegally. One clip, which drew particular attention, showed a Ghanaian man with legal residency being challenged to prove his immigration status in KwaZulu-Natal province, then told to go home and "fix your country" — even after presenting his documents.

Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa described the incidents as "extremely disturbing xenophobic attacks" and met South Africa's acting high commissioner, Thando Dalamba, to lodge a formal protest. Ablakwa also spoke by phone with his South African counterpart Ronald Lamola, who promised a full investigation and expressed empathy for the victims. In his meeting, Ablakwa invoked Ghana's historical solidarity with South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle, emphasising that harassment of law-abiding individuals ran contrary to the principles of African unity. Nigeria separately urged its citizens in South Africa to exercise caution, with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission warning that demonstrations in Cape Town, Durban, and KuGompo City — formerly known as East London — had turned violent, with looting and property damage reported.

South Africa's authorities moved quickly to condemn the violence. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia stated that attacks on foreign nationals were "unlawful" and violated the country's constitutional values of dignity and equality, adding that police had been instructed to act "decisively and without hesitation." Groups such as Operation Dudula — whose name means "to force out" in the Zulu language — and March on March have been at the forefront of anti-migrant protests, blaming foreigners for unemployment and social problems.

South Africa is the continent's most industrialised economy and has long attracted migrants from across the region, particularly from neighbouring Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. Official figures put the foreign-born population at between 2.4 and 3 million people, though many more are thought to reside in the country without documentation. With an unemployment rate exceeding 30%, economic frustration has repeatedly spilled over into xenophobic violence — a cycle that migrant rights advocates argue scapegoats vulnerable people for structural economic failures. The latest outbreak underscores how deeply rooted those tensions remain, and how quickly they can strain diplomatic relations across the continent.