PRETORIA — The African Union (AU) has rejected Ghana’s proposal to debate alleged xenophobic violence in South Africa as a standalone agenda item, backing Pretoria’s call for a comprehensive continent-wide migration review instead.
The decision follows Ghana’s recent repatriation of its citizens from South Africa after anti-illegal immigration protests. Malawi and Nigeria later launched similar repatriation efforts to withdraw their nationals.
Ghana raised the motion during Wednesday’s AU Executive Council meeting of foreign ministers in Addis Ababa. Accra sought a targeted debate on South African migrant attacks at October’s upcoming AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting.
Instead, member states adopted South Africa’s proposal to examine economic and social factors driving cross-border movement between the rest of African countries.
Pretoria opposes AU isolation bid over South African xenophobia claims
Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesperson Clayson Monyela confirmed that Pretoria successfully blocked what officials viewed as a targeted campaign.
“We defeated the attempt to single out and isolate South Africa. The AU has agreed with us,” Monyela said.
“The AU will discuss the migration issue broadly and look at the ‘push and pull’ factors. Countries will have to introspect and examine what drives people away. Sending, transit and receiving countries must collaborate to find solutions.”
International Relations Minister Lamola welcomed the decision, calling irregular migration a shared continental challenge rather than an isolated domestic issue.
He emphasised that economic desperation, not personal choice, forces millions of Africans to move.
“A discussion that singles out one country, without considering the broader continental picture, risks undermining African unity while addressing only the symptoms of the challenge,” Lamola stated.
MP Chetty cites Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act to counter bias accusations
During a Pan-African Parliament debate, South African MP Mergan Chetty argued that developing economies everywhere adopt protectionist policies to safeguard domestic labor markets.
He specificity highlighted Ghana’s Investment Promotion Centre Act as an example of a legislation that reserves key economic sectors exclusively for local citizens.
That legislative approach aligns with Accra’s broader domestic focus. (Read more about Ghana’s mining mining sector and Damang Fields lease.
“Like Ghana, South Africa has a responsibility to protect the economic interests of its citizens,” Chetty told parliamentarians.
He questioned why critics direct xenophobia accusations solely at South Africa when neighbouring nations enforce similar industrial and employment protections.
Border control and illegal migration take center stage at Pan-African debate
Chetty noted that South Africa routinely welcomes documented African professionals, including “academics and football players”, without controversy.
He reaffirmed that the South African government condemns violence against foreign nationals regardless of their legal status.
Addressing the recent peaceful anti-illegal immigration demonstration, Chetty noted that citizens exercised their constitutional rights peacefully.
He noted that police maintained a strong presence throughout to prevent clashes — an operation estimated to have South African taxpayers hundreds of millions of rand.
South African delegation leader Mdumiseni Ntuli supported that stance, rejecting claims that South Africans are inherently xenophobic.
Ntuli reiterated that law enforcement agencies hold a legal duty to maintain public order and protect all residents.
AU shift places broader African migration trends in the spotlight
AU’s ruling keeps regional migration at the top of its agenda while preventing a narrow tribunal against a single member state.
Diplomatic ties between Pretoria and Accra have come under increasing scrutiny in recent months due to disagreements over protests, national repatriations, and bilateral commerce.
These friction points previously surfaced during diplomatic disputes over MultiChoice operations in Ghana.
However, migration pressures affect the entire region. Bilateral initiatives like Mozambique’s overseas employment programme demonstrate how regional economic disparities dictate population flow.
When African leaders gather later this year, the agenda will address those systemic broader continental drivers rather than placing sole blame on South Africa.
