Accra demands expedited investigation and prosecution of suspects
ACCRA, Ghana — The body of a 40-year-old Ghanaian man shot dead in South Africa on the eve of nationwide anti-immigration protests has been repatriated, with Ghanaian authorities vowing to carry out an independent autopsy and insisting on a swift, transparent investigation.
Bashiru Isak, a father of three, was killed on 30 June in Khayelitsha, a suburb of Cape Town, on the night before mass demonstrations against foreign nationals erupted across South Africa. Ghanaian government officials directly link his death to the wave of xenophobic violence sweeping the country, a characterisation South African police have publicly disputed, instead describing the killing as “extortion-related”.
“The deceased, a law-abiding father of three, was shot multiple times in Khayelitsha, contrary to false claims made by some South African officials,” the Ghanaian foreign ministry said in a statement confirming the arrival of the body on 14 July. With the consent of the family, the High Commission in Pretoria facilitated the repatriation. Senior ministry officials and family members received the remains at Kotoka International Airport before the body was transferred to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
The death has sent shockwaves through Ghana as vigilante groups and hostile crowds continue anti-immigrant protests in South Africa, targeting and attacking African nationals in their homes and workplaces. Ghana, alongside Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda and others, has been airlifting citizens fleeing the violence since early April, when the protests first erupted. South African protesters blame foreign nationals for high unemployment and criminal activity — allegations the affected governments strenuously deny.
An autopsy is to be performed before burial, and the Ghanaian government has made clear it will not rely on South African findings. The foreign ministry disclosed that it had agreed with the bereaved family to commission an independent post-mortem “especially as attempts by the Ghana High Commission in South Africa to obtain an autopsy report from South African authorities have been unsuccessful.”
“We want justice,” the ministry stressed. “We expect a quick investigation and prosecution of the suspects in this case, and that the killing of Bashiru Isak must not be covered up. The government of Ghana is committed to pursuing all diplomatic avenues to ensure justice.”
The family has said they intend to bury Isak according to Islamic customs once the autopsy is concluded.
South African police have yet to provide any new update on their investigation. They maintain they are working to tackle illegal immigration, saying more than 53,000 African nationals have been deported since the start of intensified law enforcement operations.
Meanwhile, Ghana is preparing to repatriate what it calls the “final batch” of 900 citizens on 25 July. Authorities say those 900 people have already been registered and screened and will be informed of their exact flight times from 25 July onward. Benjamin Quashie, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, said that after this group — which will bring the total repatriated since late May and early June to nearly 2,000 — any further returns will be handled on a case-by-case basis
