Vice President of Imani Africa, Kofi Bentil, has called on the Government of Ghana to consider suspending diplomatic relations with South Africa if authorities there fail to take decisive action over the killing of Ghanaians and repeated attacks on foreign nationals.
His comments follow the recent killing of Ghanaian national Bashiru Isaka in South Africa.
Speaking on the incident, Mr. Bentil accused South African authorities of showing little commitment to investigating such cases and bringing perpetrators to justice.
“I think the South African authorities are complicit because clearly they are not interested in getting to the bottom of these matters,” he said.
He cited what he described as inconsistencies in the handling of the latest case, including the initial misidentification of the deceased by South African police, arguing that it reflected a lack of seriousness.
“Somebody dies and even the name of the person, you are not interested in getting it right,” he stated on July 4.
Mr. Bentil urged the Ghanaian government to move beyond issuing statements of condemnation and instead present South Africa with an ultimatum demanding tangible action.
According to him, Ghana should insist on arrests and prosecutions within three months or suspend diplomatic relations with the country.
“We want to see arrests. We want to see people brought to book, or in the next three months we will suspend diplomatic relations with you,” he proposed.
He argued that it would be difficult to maintain cordial diplomatic relations if Ghanaians continued to be attacked.
“It doesn’t make sense to have friendship with somebody who is killing your people,” he added.
Mr. Bentil also maintained that South Africa’s extensive commercial interests across Africa, including in Ghana, provide leverage that could be used to push its government to act more decisively.
“South Africa needs us more than we need them,” he asserted.
While he did not call for the closure of South African-owned businesses operating in Ghana, he suggested that Ghana should consider measures that would place pressure on the South African government to ensure the safety of foreign nationals.
According to him, South African companies generate significant revenue across the continent and should use their influence to encourage stronger government action.
“They must feel the pinch because if you are making money from the rest of Africa, you should put some pressure on your government to respect the people you are trading with,” he said.
Mr. Bentil further questioned Ghana’s trade relationship with South Africa, arguing that many products imported from the country could be sourced from alternative markets.
