Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quarshie, has declared that Ghana will no longer accept what he described as the brushing aside of deaths involving its citizens abroad.
He insists that full accountability will be demanded in every case.
Speaking on PM Express with Evans Mensah, he said recent developments in South Africa show a shift in how such cases are being handled.
“So the current xenophobic actions that are going on, nobody has lost their lives. The statistics are there; they’ve given it to us,” he stated.
He also clarified a circulating case involving a Ghanaian reportedly killed in East London, saying initial reports were misleading.
“We went there yesterday on the instructions of the Foreign Affairs Minister, and we got to find out that the gentleman was stabbed to death by armed robbers,” he said.
“It happened three weeks ago. They just left his body there.”
According to him, the discovery was only made after a significant delay. “We only got to know after three weeks that the citizen had been stabbed to death,” he noted.
Mr Quarshie said the matter has now been escalated at the highest diplomatic level.
“The Foreign Affairs Minister has officially asked them to open an investigation,” he said, adding that Ghanaian authorities are actively following up on the case.
He explained that officials personally visited the scene to ensure due process. “We went there and ensured that the right thing has been done,” he said.
He further revealed that there had been attempts to bury the deceased without a proper investigation. “In fact, they wanted to mass-bury the gentleman, but the Minister again gave instructions that the gentleman should not be buried until a full investigation is completed,” he said.
The High Commissioner stressed that Ghana is insisting on full accountability. “Until we know who killed him, why he was killed, and compensation given to his family,” he said.
He confirmed that the family of the deceased has been located in Ghana. “The family has been identified in Ghana. We’ve spoken to them,” he said, describing the situation as deeply painful.
“It has been a difficult one for them, because this is a breadwinner in the family.”
He added that the circumstances of the killing were particularly distressing. “When you hear the story as to how they killed him, it’s really, really pathetic,” he said.
Mr Quarshie used the moment to send a strong message on Ghana’s diplomatic posture going forward.
“I’m sure that the era of Ghanaians or any other person being killed, and South African authorities just brush it aside. I think that era is over,” he said.
He pledged sustained pressure until justice is achieved.
“We will ensure there’s accountability,” he stated. “We will account for every single individual, be it Ghanaian, be it any African person. When we get to know it, until justice is done, we will not stop.”
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