By Akani Nkuna
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya has dismissed claims that South Africa is becoming diplomatically isolated following recent anti-illegal immigration protests, accusing some African countries, particularly Ghana and, to a lesser extent, Nigeria, of spreading misinformation while insisting that South Africa remains fully engaged on the continent and internationally.
His remarks follow the Presidency’s rejection last week of reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa had sought a state visit to Ghana and had been rebuffed over South Africa’s handling of migration.
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“As the South African Presidency, we firmly reject and caution against the peddling of misinformation against South Africa. We further assert that any campaign that seeks to misrepresent South Africa will be rejected with the utmost contempt that it deserves,” Magwenya said.
“Recent evidence has shown that this false campaign, concerning as it is, is faltering. South Africa is not isolated. On the contrary, South Africa remains firmly engaged with our African continent as well as the rest of the world.”
Magwenya was briefing the media at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday on issues of domestic and international significance, outlining Ramaphosa’s position and that of the government.
He said he was particularly concerned by what he described as Ghana’s “anti-diplomatic and unconstructive posture” towards South Africa. He added that the government had raised the matter with Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa and appealed for engagement with the Ghanaian government.
“We have taken note of the campaign, primarily driven by Ghana and, to a lesser extent, Nigeria, although not as concerted as Ghana. That campaign is faltering, and we are going to reject it and assert our rightful position, not only on the continent but amongst the global community,” Magwenya said.
He also noted reports of threats by some Ghanaian representatives to nationalise South African-owned companies operating in Ghana, warning that such action would damage Ghana’s economy as much as South Africa’s.
Magwenya said many South African companies operating in Ghana employ Ghanaian citizens and contribute to the country’s economic development.
He added that trade agreements between African countries are based on reciprocal benefits and should not be used as instruments to punish individual states.
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“Any move to appropriate South African company assets in any of these countries will be counterproductive and will undermine those countries’ economic development aspirations. It will signal that those countries are no longer open for trade and business. It will also create greater uncertainty for investors,” he said.
Magwenya said the government had found no evidence that Ghanaian nationals had been disproportionately affected by the recent anti-illegal immigration protests in South Africa.
He also suggested that external actors, particularly Israel, could be contributing to efforts to isolate South Africa internationally, pointing to recent moves by Ghana and Israel to strengthen bilateral relations.
Magwenya said some Israeli officials had previously called for South Africa to be “punished” after Pretoria instituted genocide proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice over its military campaign in Gaza.
He said the government remained alert to possible forms of diplomatic retaliation from several countries, including some on the African continent.
“Not much damage has been done to our country’s image, as evidenced by the interactions we continue to have with our international counterparts on the continent and in other parts of the world,” Magwenya said.
