South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, has warned that his country will vigorously defend itself against any legal action Ghana may pursue over recent xenophobic attacks on Ghanaian nationals in South Africa.

His comments follow indications by Ghana's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that the government is considering legal options, including action in international courts, over the attacks and the losses suffered by affected Ghanaians.

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According to him, the evacuation of affected Ghanaians does not bring closure to the matter and there must be accountability for the harm caused to victims.

"We are also considering our legal options and do not rule out formal legal action in competent international courts on this matter. So, the South African government, we have made clear that they should not think that the matter ends with us evacuating our nationals. There has to be accountability, and there has to be a price to pay," Ablakwa said in an interview on JoyNews on June 6, 2026.

Responding to Ablakwa’s claims in an X post on June 6, 2026, Lamola said South Africa had initially sought to support Ghana's evacuation efforts in a humane and cordial manner but was concerned about what he described as misinformation and public commentary surrounding the matter.

He stressed that South Africa would not hesitate to challenge any legal action it considers without merit.

"Let there be no misunderstanding: we will vigorously defend any frivolous or baseless lawsuit emanating from Ghana against South Africa," he said.

The minister also criticised what he described as the public handling of the issue, saying it lacked diplomatic decorum and was based on incomplete information.

"Our initial hope was simply to assist the Government of Ghana in repatriating its citizens in a humane and cordial manner. However, we will not continue to tolerate these public spectacles, characterised by incomplete information and outright misinformation devoid of any diplomatic decorum," Lamola stated.

Lamola added that South Africa remains open to discussions on migration-related concerns through bilateral engagements, the African Union and other multilateral platforms.

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"We are, and will remain, open to discussing the push and pull factors relating to migration at a bilateral level, the African Union or any multilateral forum, but let us be factual in our engagements and not pander to unnecessary public spectacles that are devoid of any diplomatic decorum," he added.

A deeply disappointing interview, replete with misinformation.

First, the claim that two Nigerians have been killed during the current wave of attacks remains entirely unsubstantiated by available information.

No Nigerian National
has been killed during the current waves of… https://t.co/mlkbMiJiAd pic.twitter.com/RxjJWB0OmL

— Minister: International Relations and Cooperation (@RonaldLamola) June 6, 2026