South African anti-immigration activist, Jacintha Zuma, has criticized Ghana’s decision to evacuate its citizens from South Africa, describing the move as an “overreaction” and a public relations stunt.
Speaking at a press conference, Zuma said the evacuation amid rising xenophobic tensions could create unnecessary fear and send the wrong signal about the situation in the country.
“I think the Ghanaian government really overreacted. It’s disappointing,” she said.
Zuma added that Ghana had long held South Africa’s respect, but the evacuation response was “largely dishonest.”
She dismissed claims that foreign nationals were beaten up, calling such reports “absolutely ridiculous.”
She also criticized South Africa’s Minister of Police for echoing those claims.
According to Zuma, a video that sparked the evacuation showed a foreign national who had broken immigration laws.
She claimed the individual may have entered legally but overstayed, a situation she said is common among many foreign nationals in South Africa.
She accused Ghana of turning the issue into a PR exercise aimed at painting South Africa as xenophobic instead of addressing it properly.
“Now we’ve got a lot of these Ghanaians on television telling us how they got to the country. Many of them are saying, ‘I came on a business visa, I’m staying here now,’” Zuma said.
Zuma emphasized that there are many lawbreakers in the country and insisted that foreign nationals should follow South African law.
