TEMA, Ghana, 9th May: The Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has strongly condemned the ongoing xenophobic attacks targeting foreign African nationals in parts of South Africa.
Videos circulating on various social media platforms show some South Africans warning non-South African Africans to leave the country, sparking widespread concern across the continent.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu show on Saturday, May 9, Abraham Koomson described the attacks as unfortunate and unacceptable, stressing that Africans must coexist peacefully and uphold the ideals of Pan-African unity.
According to him, South Africa inherited a relatively developed nation after the end of apartheid, unlike many other African countries that had to struggle through years of hardship to build their economies and infrastructure.
“The whites developed South Africa before handing it over to them, so they did not suffer the same hardships some African countries went through to build infrastructure and develop their nations from scratch,” he stated.
Mr. Koomson further criticised South Africans who accuse foreign nationals of taking their jobs, describing such attitudes as misplaced and unproductive.
“They are just lazy because they do not want to work. If they had gone through the struggles some countries faced in developing themselves, they would think twice before blaming foreigners,” he said.
Using Ghana as an example, the GFL Secretary General noted that the country hosts nationals from several African countries, including Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Togo, yet Ghanaians have not resorted to xenophobic attacks against them.
He explained that Ghanaians understand the importance of Pan-Africanism and peaceful coexistence because of the country’s historical struggles and commitment to African unity.
“Ghana has Nigerians, Burkinabes, Togolese and many other nationals living here, but Ghanaian youth have never risen against them. Ghanaians understand what Pan-Africanism means because of what the country has been through,” he added.
LISTEN TO ABRAHAM KOOMSON IN THE AUDIO BELOW:
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 🇬🇭