Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, has urged Ghanaians to remain calm amid rising xenophobic tensions in South Africa.
The Catholic Bishops’ President urged Ghanaians to desist from retaliatory calls to shut down South African businesses operating in Ghana.
He argued that retaliatory action would escalate the tensions across the continent, which would undermine African unity and peaceful coexistence.
Speaking to Citi News, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi advised, “I believe that Ghanaians who have been repatriated, and indeed all Africans, should see this as a misunderstanding by some people in South Africa and should not react by repatriating South Africans back”.
“Once you begin that, it will have a snowball effect all over Africa. We just want everybody to keep calm. Initially, people may want to act emotionally to settle scores, but that is not the proper way to handle these issues,” he added.
He added, “Ghanaians will continue to live in South Africa and South Africans will also continue to live in Ghana. Ghanaians have businesses there, and South Africans also have businesses here. Let us live in unity and love”.
He highlighted that misunderstandings and isolated incidents may occur but warned against allowing the situations to define relationships among African nations.
“There will always be some aberrations. You should not build on the deviations. It is very sad that Africans continue to build on the divisions created by Europeans instead of breaking away from them. We keep emphasising artificial boundaries and differences,” he lamented.
The Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi also cited historical parallels between Ghana and Nigeria, during which both countries expelled each other’s citizens.
“Ghana once made the mistake of asking Nigerians to go back home, and later Nigerians also repatriated Ghanaians. I do not think the two countries will ever repeat those mistakes again because they have learned their lesson,” he added.
In related news, a Ghanaian man in a viral video has sent a message to South Africans ahead of their June 30 ultimatum for all illegal immigrants to leave the country.
According to the Ghanaian man, if South Africans touch any Ghanaian on June 30, 2026, Ghanaians will reciprocate by invading MTN.
He further disclosed that Ghanaians will also go after South African women who, he claims many are into prostitution in Ghana, and mentioned some location one can find them.
Speaking in a viral video, the Ghanaian man sends a message to South Africans ahead of their June 30 ultimatum for all illegal immigrants to leave the country, saying, “They said on June 30, we are left with 32 days if we do not leave their countries. Whatever happens to you, you caused it. On that same day, we are going to protest against South Africa in this country. If they touch one Ghanaian again, we will touch two of them. If they touch three, we will touch four.
We know where they are, you see MTN, that day, unless the police come there. If they touch Ghanain again, destroy… we don’t want to go there. They have been doing it so many times, and we have been urging them to stop”.
He further added, “A lot of South African ladies are doing prostitution in Cantoment, Togo Embassy, Lapaz, we will go there, we will touch them, do me, I do you man no go vex. On the 30th, if they touch any Ghanaian, South Africans should be ready to leave”.
Watch how Ghanaians facing xenophobic attacks in South Africa left South Africa to Ghana #GHNow pic.twitter.com/dBsvDbKlg5
— GHnow (@ghnow_) May 28, 2026
