Ghana, South Africa Must Resolve Diplomatic Tensions Through Dialogue, Not Social Media – Asafo Adjei

The Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo Adjei, has urged Ghana and South Africa to resolve their diplomatic differences through established channels rather than engaging in public exchanges on social media.

His comments follow recent tensions between the two countries over xenophobic attacks in South Africa targeting some foreign nationals, including Ghanaians.

Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Tuesday, July 7, Mr Asafo Adjei expressed concern over the public disagreement between Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and his South African counterpart, Ronald Lamola, following reports that a Ghanaian national died after a xenophobic march in South Africa on June 30.

According to him, although Ghana has every right to demand answers and seek the protection of its citizens abroad, such sensitive matters are best handled through direct diplomatic engagement.

“It is so undiplomatic for me to find two Foreign Affairs Ministers, colleagues, who should either be engaging behind the scenes, on the phone, diplomatically, rather than exchanging words on social media. For me, we have missed it,” he stated.

Mr Asafo Adjei explained that both countries may have different sets of information on the situation, making dialogue between the two governments critical in resolving the matter.

“The government of South Africa may also have information we will not have, and we may also have information they do not have. So it is important that the two countries, or the two ministers at that level, engage more diplomatically than running to social media,” he said.

He stressed that diplomatic processes must be allowed to work quietly, adding that public exchanges could complicate efforts to find a solution.

“Let us stop the gallery. Let us come back home, let us leave social media, and deal with this matter. Let us achieve results. We do not need to put the process of engagement on social media,” he added.

The legislator appealed to both Foreign Affairs ministers to prioritise dialogue and work towards easing tensions between Accra and Pretoria.

“I implore the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ghana and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of South Africa to get back to the drawing board and do the same,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has clarified that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s planned state visit to Ghana had been arranged long before the recent outbreak of xenophobic attacks.

According to him, the decision to defer the visit was not a rejection of South Africa’s diplomatic overtures but a recognition that the current tensions could overshadow the important issues both countries intended to discuss.

“Let me indicate that this is a visit that had been planned well in advance of the outbreak of the recent xenophobic attacks. Indeed, it was slated to take place in early August 2026, but given the outbreak of these attacks and all the issues that have arisen therefrom, we sent a diplomatic communication to the South African government that we believe it is best to defer the visit until such a time when these matters have been resolved, and there is relative calm,” he said.

Mr Kwakye Ofosu added that Ghana continues to value its relationship with South Africa and remains committed to strengthening ties once the concerns affecting Ghanaian nationals are addressed.