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Western Cape police have asked Ghana’s ministry of foreign affairs to provide further details about the alleged fatal shooting of a Ghanaian national in Khayelitsha, saying they have no record of such a murder.
The request follows a statement issued by Ghana’s foreign affairs ministry expressing sadness over the reported killing of 40-year-old Ghanaian national Bashiru Isak in Khayelitsha on Monday.
The ministry linked the gun death to ongoing anti-illegal immigrant protests in South Africa.
However, Western Cape police spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa said police had no record of a murder matching that description in Khayelitsha.
She confirmed the murder of another Ghanaian national, 35-year-old Kwabena Boagena, who was fatally shot in Nyanga on Monday in what investigators believe was an extortion-related attack.
“Official crime scene reports indicate Boagena was shot at the Nyanga terminus in front of the NTG Hair Salon and shoe repairs at about 3.45pm on Monday in circumstances that point to the crime of extortion by yet-to-be arrested gunmen. He was declared dead at the scene by emergency medical services personnel,” Potelwa said.
She said though the victim lived in Khayelitsha, he worked in Nyanga.
“A post-mortem is being conducted by department of health officials in accordance with South African protocols,” she said.
A murder case has been opened and is being investigated by Nyanga detectives, who are in contact with the deceased’s relatives.
“On behalf of the SA Police Service we convey our heartfelt condolences to the family,” Potelwa said.
The Khayelitsha Development Forum, which monitored developments in the area throughout Tuesday, also said it had no knowledge of a murder linked to anti-immigration protests in the township.
The incident comes amid heightened concern over violence linked to anti-illegal immigration demonstrations held in parts of the country this week.
Last week, acting police minister Firoz Cachalia warned that extortion had become one of the country’s fastest-growing crimes, saying police were grappling with increasingly sophisticated criminal networks.
“Extortion is a very serious crime because it affects people with initiative who are trying to establish small businesses,” Cachalia said during a briefing on police readiness for the June 30 protests.
He acknowledged many victims were reluctant to report extortion for fear of reprisals, making the crime particularly difficult to combat.
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