A Ghanaian national in South Africa was confirmed dead following the massive xenophobic protest exercise embarked upon by thousands of South Africans on June 30.

Confirming the death of the Ghanaian national, the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Western Cape, in a statement issued via its official Facebook platform on Thursday, July 2, denied that the death of the deceased was linked to xenophobic attacks.

According to the police, “... SAPS in the Western Cape confirms the murder of a Ghanaian national in Nyanga on Monday, 29 June 2026, in circumstances believed to be linked to the crime of extortion”.

The deceased, identified as 35-year-old Mr Kwabena Boagen, was reported by SAPS as follows: “Official crime scene reports indicate that the deceased male, later identified as 35-year-old Mr Kwabena Boagen, was shot at the Nyanga Terminus in front of the NTG Hair Salon and Shoe Repairs at approximately 15:45 on Monday, in circumstances that point to extortion-related crime perpetrated by yet-to-be-arrested gunmen.

He was declared dead at the scene by Emergency Medical Services personnel.”

Consequently, in a bid to establish the circumstances leading to his death and identify the perpetrators involved, the police said it has launched investigations into the matter. Meanwhile, the family of the deceased has been informed accordingly.

“A murder docket was subsequently opened for investigation by Nyanga detectives, who have been in contact with a relative of the deceased and, on behalf of the SAPS, conveyed their heartfelt condolences. The victim resided in the Khayelitsha area but worked in Nyanga. A post-mortem examination is currently being conducted today by Department of Health officials, in accordance with South African protocols,” the police said.

Reacting to Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement linking the death of Mr Boagen to the xenophobic attacks launched on immigrants during the protests, the police said:

“About the media release issued by the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the South African Police Service has no record of the alleged murder in Khayelitsha. An earnest plea is therefore made to the authorities concerned to provide details of the alleged Khayelitsha incident to the SAPS to enable further investigation.

Nyanga detectives are hard at work investigating the murder with a view to apprehending the perpetrators.”

Meanwhile, the SAPS is yet to explain what kind of extortion led to the death of Mr Boagen.In a related development, Ghanaians in South Africa (SA) so far are safe, with none in custody following a temporary detention by authorities, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, has assured.

He made these remarks following anti-immigration demonstrations that took place across parts of South Africa on Tuesday, June 30.

According to the Commissioner, his outfit was monitoring developments surrounding the anti-immigration campaign in the early hours of June 30, and every Ghanaian who was detained by authorities during the protest had been released following their intervention.

“We’ve been monitoring the situation since 6 a.m. this morning. A couple of Ghanaians were arrested and all of them, I can confidently tell you, have been released through the intervention of our consular officers,” he said.

He explained that as part of measures to safeguard Ghanaians in South Africa currently, the Ghanaian government has arranged with the SA government that any national who is detained must be communicated to the Commission there.

When any Ghanaian encounters the SA police, they undergo immigration checks, which include presentation of documents, after which the Ghanaian consular is consulted to confirm their nationality. Some of those detained were stopped by police during the immigration checks.

“The agreement is that if any Ghanaian is arrested, the authorities should first confirm with us. We verify whether the individual is indeed Ghanaian and advise accordingly,” he stated.