As anger and displeasure mount over the treatment of Ghanaians and other Africans in South Africa, the Ghana–South Africa Business Chamber (GSABC) is urging the public to exercise restraint, cautioning that retaliation and inflammatory rhetoric will only worsen the crisis.
The Chamber, while acknowledging the widespread anxiety and genuine frustrations felt by many due to the xenophobic attacks, is calling for calm and peaceful conduct to prevent further straining the relationship between the two nations.
The Chamber highlighted that South Africa remains a strategic economic partner and a “sister African nation” with whom Ghana shares common goals for continental prosperity.
To protect these vital interests, the GSABC says constructive engagement and the rule of law are the only effective tools for addressing the current challenges.
In a statement released by the Chamber, it warned that reactive violence or heated rhetoric could jeopardize the longstanding bonds that bind the two peoples together.
The Chamber noted, “Ghanaians have traditionally viewed South Africa not only as a strategic economic partner but also as a sister African nation with which we share common aspirations for continental unity, prosperity, and development. It is therefore deeply troubling when fellow Africans become targets of hostility, discrimination, or violence based solely on their nationality or origin.”
“While expressing our profound concern, we urge all stakeholders to remain calm and conduct themselves peacefully. We strongly discourage retaliation, inflammatory rhetoric, or actions that may further strain the longstanding relations between the peoples of Ghana and South Africa,” the statement cautioned.
In its call for a diplomatic resolution, the Chamber commended the Government of Ghana for its ongoing high-level engagements with South African authorities and urged that these talks continue with the urgency and seriousness the situation demands.
GSABC President Tony Sekyere concluded the appeal by calling on all Africans to embrace the values of unity and dignity.
The Chamber says it remains committed to working with diplomatic missions and business leaders to foster tolerance and stronger people-to-people relations, insisting that the collective response to this threat must be guided by solidarity rather than division.
