The government says anti-illegal migrant protests should not be associated with the murder of a Ghanaian national in Cape Town.
The victim was fatally shot at his place of work on Monday afternoon “in an incident police suspect was a criminal act”, said justice and constitutional development minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, who also chairs the inter-ministerial committee on migration.
She said Western Cape police reported the shooting took place in Nyanga, and the man’s age was listed as 35.
“Police members attended to the crime scene and found the victim with gunshot wounds.
“According to reports, unknown suspects entered the barbershop and demanded money from the victim before he was shot. The suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested. The motive for the attack is believed to be extortion-related.”
The Ghana foreign affairs ministry earlier issued a statement linking the murder with the June 30 anti-illegal immigrant marches. The victim was described by its media as a 40-year-old father of three and tailor who lived in Khayelitsha.
Kubayi said the spreading of false information that South Africa is xenophobic is unacceptable.
“Diplomatic matters and concerns between our continental counterparts must be communicated properly to South Africa through established channels.
“We regret all loss of life on our shores and we would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased and assure them our law enforcement authorities will investigate this matter and bring the perpetrators to book,” she said.
TimesLIVE
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