Zimbabwe has condemned the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa, saying, “It clearly offends the spirit of African unity and solidarity as espoused by the African Union Founding fathers in Addis Ababa in 1963.”

Zimbabwe further noted in a press statement by its Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa the senseless orgy of violence in South Africa does not augur well for the recently launched Africa Free Trade Area.

“The despicable attacks come at an inopportune time when African leaders have just launched a Continent-wide Africa Free Trade Area which has opened exciting economic opportunities that facilitate free movement of capital, labour, goods and services,” Mutsvangwa said.

Xenophobic attacks in South Africa have left five dead in riots in Johannesburg, where foreign-owned shops were targeted on Monday. A recurrence of the 2015 attacks that left at least seven people killed.

Ghana’s former President, John Maham blamed the South African government for the latest xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Describing the attacks as heartless in a tweet Wednesday Mahama asked the South African government to assume responsibility for “these inhuman actions and implement urgent steps to prevent these attacks from recurring in the future.”

He said, “the perpetrators of these gruesome attacks are ignorant of the continental solidarity that was required to defeat apartheid and give birth to the new South African nation.”

Meanwhile, Ghana’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Charles Owiredu has said no Ghanaian has so far been attacked in the xenophobic insurrection in South Africa.

He also noted there are no reports that Ghanaian-owned shops or interests have been hit in the attacks.

Source: Ghana|Starrfm.com.gh|103.5FM