‘You want the trade, but not the people?’ – Dr Yamson tears into South Africa’s xenophobia

MTN Ghana's Dr Ishmael Yamson has harshly criticized South Africa's xenophobic attacks on African migrants, questioning how the country can pursue continental trade while violently rejecting the people who enable that trade. Speaking on Joy News' PM Express, the economist expressed deep concern about the situation in South Africa, which he believes is a major issue for Ghanaians, Africans, and the government.

During a recent visit to South Africa, Dr Yamson confronted the issue, speaking candidly about African integration and immigration.

He emphasized that even if all foreigners left South Africa, the country's economic problems would persist. Dr Yamson argues that the blame for South Africa's economic troubles lies with the state's failure to manage the economy effectively. He pointed out that even the apartheid government left South Africa with a better economic foundation than it currently has.

Dr Yamson highlighted Ghana's significant role in supporting liberation struggles across the continent, including South Africa's fight against apartheid. He recalled that the area in Accra, now known as Village, was once called Freedom Fighters Village, where liberation fighters from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and other nations were trained using Ghanaian financial support.

Citing Ghana's assistance to South Africa's corporate sector after apartheid, Dr Yamson noted that the highest-trained person in Unilever South Africa was a supervisor who had been trained in Ghana. He expressed his personal disappointment at the rising hostility towards Africans, having grown up with South African classmates who had fled South Africa.

Dr Yamson pointed out the irony that South Africa has benefited from decades of support from other African countries, while now foreigners are being blamed for its economic difficulties. He contrasted South Africa's approach with Ghana's more measured handling of foreign nationals, stating that Ghana has given foreigners time to regularize their stay or leave.

He strongly condemned the use of violence to force African migrants out of South Africa, describing mobs chasing Ghanaians, Nigerians, Zimbabweans, and Ugandans as a form of criminal behavior. For Dr Yamson, these attacks expose a contradiction in Africa's push for economic integration, questioning how trade can succeed without the people who facilitate it.