- Safiu Kehinde
Protest has erupted in Ghana as group of aggrieved youths took to the street in demand for the boycott and closure of all South African company in country over the xenophobic attack on Ghanaians living in South Africa.
This is coming amid the ongoing onslaught against African migrants and their businesses in South Africa by local indigenes who demanded the exit of the migrants from their country.
With the June 30 ultimatum issued by the local indigenes fast approaching, several African migrants from Malawi, Nigeria, and Ghana, amongst others have evacuated from South Africa.
Meanwhile, the resurgence of Xenophobic attacks on the migrants, particularly Ghanaians, had sparked the protest in Accra which started last week.
In a latest development, the protesters stormed the Jubilee Government House where they tendered a petition demanding closure of South African companies, particularly the non-renewal of South African-owned gold mining companies’ license.
They also charged Ghanaians to boycott the services of companies like MTN, DSTV, ShopRite, Mr. Price, and other businesses.
One of the leaders of the protesters, in a video shared on X on Thursday, said the petition was borne out of the unprovoked xenophobic attacks on Ghanaian citizens in South Africa.
“This formal petition is submitted in direct response to the brutal unprovoked Xenophobic attacks targeted at Ghanaian citizens in South Africa.
“These violent atrocities have disrupted the peace, destroyed the livelihood and compromised the physical safety of our compatriots abroad.” He said.
While commending the Ghanaian government from embarking on evacuation of its citizens from the country, the protester however called for strategic and permanent counter measures in dealing with the xenophobic attacks on Ghanaians in South Africa.
“While we commend the executive arm of government for its swift action in securing the lives of these our compatriots, we firmly assert that evacuation is however a temporary shift.
“The state must now respectfully deploy strategic, permanent and institutional counter measures to protect our national sovereignty and dignity of Ghanaians.” He added.