South Africa and Ghana in diplomatic row over alleged migrant killing in Cape Town

A diplomatic row has broken out between South Africa and Ghana after Accra said a Ghanaian man was killed during anti-migrant protests in Cape Town. South African officials deny that account and say police have no record of the Khayelitsha killing described by Ghana. The dispute has added a bilateral dimension to wider tensions over migration and public protests in South Africa.

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Ghana's foreign ministry said it received reports with profound shock that Bashiru Isak, 40, had been shot dead on Tuesday in Khayelitsha township. It said it had sent a formal protest note and filed a complaint with police. South Africa's justice minister said he was concerned that Ghanaian authorities were continuing to communicate false information about developments linked to irregular migration, while a foreign ministry official described the alleged link to the protests as a fabricated tale.

South African police said they had no record of the Khayelitsha murder. They did, however, say they were investigating the killing of another Ghanaian man, 35-year-old Kwabena Boagen, in Nyanga, another Cape Town township. Police said Boagen lived in the Khayelitsha area but worked in Nyanga, where the crime took place, and that a post-mortem was being carried out in line with protocol.

They said no arrests had been made, and earlier told the BBC that suspects allegedly entered the barbershop where he was working, demanded money and then shot him. The row comes against a backdrop of rising anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa. Tuesday was the unofficial deadline set by anti-migrant groups for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, and thousands marched in major cities.

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Police said the protests were largely peaceful, but also said about 900 people were arrested, mostly for immigration-related offences and looting. The issue has become politically sensitive because it touches on public safety, migration enforcement and relations with other African states whose citizens live and work in South Africa. The Ghanaian government's complaint also highlights the difficulty of verifying violent incidents quickly during periods of unrest.

In this case, the two governments are referring to different alleged killings in different parts of Cape Town, which has deepened confusion around the reports. South African officials are pressing Ghana to provide details of the Khayelitsha case so that police can investigate further, while Ghana is seeking formal clarification through diplomatic channels. What remains unclear is whether the Khayelitsha death reported by Ghana occurred as described, and whether it is connected in any way to the protests.

Police have said they are separately investigating the Nyanga killing, but have not announced any arrests. The next developments are likely to depend on police findings, any evidence Ghana provides, and whether the diplomatic exchange escalates further.

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