Let African Leaders Call South Africa Out For The Barbaric Betrayal Of Pan-Africanism

For the past three weeks, I have reflected deeply on Africa’s collective struggle against colonialism and imperialism. From the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade to the shackles of colonial rule and the long road to political independence, our past should be the foundation of our unity, not the source of division.

Yet, recent xenophobic attacks on African foreign nationals in South Africa, particularly Ghanaians, have reopened old wounds. My heart bleeds.

One would have thought that in this era of globalisation and civilisation, we had moved beyond such barbarism. Instead, some frustrated South Africans appear to believe their country should become an island, as though shutting out their African brothers and sisters is the path to employment. This is not activism. It is political confusion born out of ignorance of South Africa’s own history and the economic realities of the continent.

But let us not forget how we got here.
At independence in 1957, Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, declared: “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked to the total liberation of the rest of the African continent.” That was not mere rhetoric. It was a national policy.

South Africa’s apartheid system was among the most brutal forms of racial discrimination the world had seen. Black South Africans were confined to squalid townships like Soweto, denied basic rights, and treated as second-class citizens in their own land while the white minority enjoyed the nation’s wealth untouched.

In response, Ghana became the bedrock of the liberation struggle. Between 1957 and 1966, Accra served as a safe haven and headquarters for Southern African liberation movements. The *African National Congress (ANC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), and ZAPU* organised, strategised, and trained in Ghana.

In *April 1962*, a young Nelson Mandela travelled secretly to Ghana under the alias “David Motsamayi” to seek support for the ANC’s armed struggle. Though he could not meet Nkrumah due to an assassination attempt, Mandela met with senior government officials who pledged financial assistance and issued him a travel document after his South African passport was revoked.

Ghana also established military training camps for South African freedom fighters and sustained a diplomatic campaign against apartheid at the United Nations from *1960 to the 1970s*, pushing for sanctions and isolation of the apartheid regime.

In his autobiography _Long Walk to Freedom_, Mandela acknowledged Ghana’s pivotal role, describing it as a home that stood by South African activists when few others would.

That solidarity was never forgotten. During a state banquet in honour of President Jerry John Rawlings in July 1998, Mandela stated:

“Achieving democracy was only possible with the support of friends like Ghana, who supported our struggle for freedom, democracy and dignity as their own.”

Rawlings himself had visited Mandela in Pretoria in December 1997 and again in July 1998 on a four-day state visit to strengthen bilateral ties and African unity.

Today, it is painful to see that this history has been erased from the consciousness of some South Africans. The sight of Africans attacking fellow Africans while ignoring the debt they owe to the continent is nothing short of a betrayal of Pan-Africanism.

It is even more disheartening to hear a South African telling a Ghanaian to “go back and build his country” as if Ghana is a struggling state. Meanwhile, South African companies operate freely and profitably in Ghana, and thousands of South Africans live and work here without harassment or discrimination.

The South African government must take full responsibility for these attacks and implement a permanent solution, not just temporary condemnations. If left unchecked, this cycle of violence risks triggering retaliation across the continent.

African leaders must no longer remain silent. The African Union’s inaction on these recurring xenophobic incidents undermines our efforts toward continental integration, free movement, and the African Continental Free Trade Area.

If governments fail to protect Africans in African countries, then diplomatic sanctions must be considered. We cannot demand respect from the rest of the world while treating each other with contempt.

We are one people. Boundaries should not turn us into enemies. The bitterness of our past must forge our unity, not fracture it.

Denis Andaban
[email protected]

Wa.