South Africa: South Africa Dismisses Ghanaian Petition to ICC Over Migrant Violence

AllAfrica English (current) En Français Toggle navigation My Account Toggle navigation AllAfrica My Account English (current) En Français South Africa Dismisses Ghanaian Petition to ICC Over Migrant Violence Ihsaan Haffejee/GroundUp Migrants leave as anti-immigrant protests spread across South Africa (file photo). 24 July 2026 allAfrica.com South Africa has dismissed as "opportunistic" a petition filed at the International Criminal Court by two Ghanaian nationals seeking an investigation into attacks on foreign migrants, arguing the country's legal system is capable of addressing such cases. The petition, submitted to the Hague-based court, argued that the violence could amount to crimes against humanity. It also accused the South African government of failing to prevent and punish those responsible. But the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) described the application as opportunistic. DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said: "South Africa notes this filing fails to satisfy the statutory legal triggers and jurisdictional requirements necessary for action by the court. South Africa maintains full confidence in its domestic legal framework.” Several African governments and regional bloc Ecowas have condemned the attacks. DIRCO has said that South Africa remains committed to open, constructive, and action-oriented dialogue with the Economic Community of West African States, especially on regional stability and migration management. South Africa has rejected accusations of xenophobia and reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law. It called for broader African Union discussions on the causes of migration. President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged public concerns about migration but has condemned attacks against migrants, warning citizens against taking the law into their own hands. There are estimated to have been more than 160,000 foreign nationals who left South Africa in the past two months, according to figures from repatriating governments, with countries such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria and Ghana organizing return transportation. Previous Story Next Story Ghanaians Ask ICC to Investigate Xenophobic Violence in South Africa Ghanaians Ask ICC to Investigate Xenophobic Violence in South Africa Next Story Tagged: South Africa West Africa Southern Africa Governance Legal Affairs External Relations International Organisations Human Rights Ghana Copyright © 2026 allAfrica.com. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us. AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Support our work Sign up for our newsletter For Advertisers Subscribe © 2026 AllAfrica Privacy Policy Contact Us About Us AllAfrica - All the Time Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Submit By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished...We need to confirm your email address.To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.