Diplomacy is the art of managing disagreement without breaking friendship.
But when citizens are being killed, looted, and evacuated, friendship must be tested by action, not just words.
That is why the government’s decision to decline President Cyril Ramaphosa’s request for an official visit to Accra, and the subsequent postponement of the Third Session of the South Africa–Ghana Bi-National Commission (BNC) scheduled for the first week in August, is both necessary and timely.
It sends a clear message: the safety and dignity of Ghanaians abroad are non-negotiable.
The immediate trigger is a fresh wave of xenophobic violence in several South African provinces targeting African migrants, including traders and informal workers.
Videos of looted shops and assaults have circulated widely, sparking anger across the continent.
For Ghana, the human cost is real. About 1,000 Ghanaians have been evacuated.
Another 900 have registered for repatriation. On June 30, a 40-year-old Ghanaian, Bashiru Isak, was killed during demonstrations by anti-foreigner groups.
That death, and the broader climate of fear, forced our Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a travel advisory and to urge Ghanaians in South Africa to register with the High Commission in Pretoria.
It is against this background that President Ramaphosa’s planned official visit to discuss bilateral trade, AU reforms, and AfCFTA cooperation could not proceed.
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation has now formally requested a postponement of the BNC “to a date to be mutually agreed through diplomatic channels.”
This is not about rejecting South Africa. It is about protecting Ghanaians.
First, security.
A high-level visit in the middle of volatile anti-foreigner protests carries risks.
Government sources rightly point to fears of reprisal action and of a reception that could embarrass both countries and further strain relations.
Better to pause than to preside over an incident.
Second, justice and accountability. Ghana has asked South Africa for three things: definitive action on the property and resources of Ghanaians left behind, possible compensation for physical and economic losses, and credible security guarantees going forward.
Investigations must be accelerated. Perpetrators must be prosecuted.
Without that, any summit would be optics without substance.
Third, principle. Ghana has always believed in African solidarity.
But solidarity cannot mean silence in the face of attacks on African migrants.
By joining other African countries expressing concern, Ghana is defending a continental norm: that Africans must be safe in any African country.
Ghana and South Africa have deep ties.
We fought colonialism and apartheid together. We trade together. Under AfCFTA, we are supposed to be building integrated supply chains.
South African companies are present in Ghana’s banking, retail, and telecoms sectors.
Ghanaian traders, students, and professionals are present across South Africa.
This row comes at a sensitive time. AfCFTA is meant to make borders more porous for goods, services, and people.
But if Africans are not safe in other countries, trade agreements are paper.
The African Union has a role.
It must move beyond statements and activate its mechanisms for protecting migrant rights.
Regional economic communities must also address the economic drivers of xenophobia: unemployment, inequality, and competition in the informal sector.
Ghana’s stance can help set a precedent.
It says that economic cooperation and citizen protection must go together.
You cannot have one without the other.
The government’s decline of President Ramaphosa’s visit and the BNC is not a breakdown.
It is a diplomatic pause for principle.
Government has done the right thing by putting Ghanaians first.
Now we must use this pause wisely.
South Africa must act decisively to guarantee safety and justice.
Ghana must support its returnees and keep diplomacy alive.
Our two countries have overcome worse moments.
We stood together against apartheid.
We can stand together again against xenophobia.
But that will only happen when a Ghanaian trader in South Africa can sleep without fear, when a South African investor in Ghana is judged by his business and not his passport, and when both governments can meet knowing their citizens are protected. Until then, let the BNC wait.
Let justice come first. Because a republic that cannot protect its people abroad cannot credibly lead abroad.
And that is the standard this government has rightly chosen to uphold.
