Pressure group Arise Ghana has called on the Government of Ghana to reject any renewal of mining leases involving Gold Fields and to take stronger measures in response to recurring xenophobic attacks against Ghanaians and other African nationals in South Africa.
In a statement issued on Monday, June 1, the group expressed what it described as “deep concern and outrage” over repeated attacks targeting foreign African nationals in South Africa, arguing that the incidents threaten African unity and violate fundamental human rights.
According to Arise Ghana, many Ghanaians living in South Africa continue to face intimidation, assaults, destruction of businesses, displacement, and other forms of harassment.
“The repeated assaults, intimidation, destruction of businesses, displacement, and targeted harassment of foreign African nationals, especially Ghanaians, cannot be normalized or excused under any circumstance,” the statement said.
The group further condemned what it called a culture of impunity that has allowed such attacks to recur despite diplomatic engagements and assurances from South African authorities.
Arise Ghana, however, commended the Government of Ghana, particularly Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quarshie, for facilitating the safe return of approximately 300 Ghanaians from South Africa and providing reintegration support.
As part of its demands, the organization urged the government to pursue legal and diplomatic redress through African Union mechanisms, including the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, arguing that the attacks violate the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and undermine continental integration efforts.
The group also called on the government to withhold any renewal of mining leases involving Gold Fields, citing what it described as the need for a broader assessment of reciprocal respect, accountability, and mutual benefit between Ghana and South Africa.
“At a time when Ghanaian citizens are facing hostility and violence in South Africa, it is unacceptable for Ghana to continue granting strategic economic privileges without a broader assessment of reciprocal respect, accountability, and mutual benefit between both nations and associated corporate interests,” the statement noted.
Additionally, Arise Ghana proposed that strategic mining concessions be transferred to indigenous Ghanaian firms, including Engineers and Planners, to ensure that mining revenues remain within the country and contribute directly to national development.
The group further demanded that South African nationals residing in Ghana for business or other purposes return to their home country, arguing that such a move would help create opportunities for Ghanaians as the country seeks solutions to its economic challenges.
Concluding its statement, Arise Ghana warned that xenophobia poses a significant threat to regional cooperation and economic integration across Africa.
“Africa’s future cannot be built on division, violence, and hostility against fellow Africans,” the group stated, adding that xenophobia undermines the vision of a united continent championed by African leaders such as Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
The organization called on the Ghanaian government to remain firm in defending the rights and interests of its citizens while pursuing justice for victims of xenophobic attacks across the continent.
Source: Ebenezer De-Gaulle
