Government says there is currently no confirmed report of Ghanaian casualties in the sporadic violence that broke out against foreigners in South Africa.
Rumours surfaced Tuesday that at least one Ghanaian has died in the renewed xenophobic attack which has since last Thursday seen South Africans attack, loot and destroy shops owned by foreigners in parts of the country.
Some properties and cars have been torched by the angry South Africans who claim foreign nationals, mostly blacks from other African countries, have taken over their jobs making them unemployed.
But a statement issued Tuesday evening by Ghana’s Foreign Ministry said no Ghanaian has so far been killed in the attacks.
According to the government, “there is no confirmed Ghanaian casualties at the moment”, adding the High Commission in Pretoria has been monitoring the situation closely ad that new development will be communicated as and when they come in.
It described the attacks as unfortunate and called on the South African government to “deal firmly” with the criminal South Africans associated with the attacks and looting of shops.
Ghana also want the authorities to guarantee “the safety and security” of all African nationals and Ghanaians resident in South Africa.
Meanwhile, the government has announced its High Commission in Pretoria has set up dedicated emergency lines [+271-234-258-47/8] for Ghanaian nationals in distress to contact for assistance.
Earlier Monday, the High Commissioner George Ayisi Boateng appealed to Ghanaians to monitor situations carefully.
For those who live in the violent prone areas, he asked them to “take caution” and “monitor movement of most probably assailants”.
He suggested there is currently no need for Ghana to put in place a contingency plan to safeguard its immigrants in South Africa, stating “If there is any need for us to put in place contingency measures, be assured that we will do it”.
By 3news.com|Ghana