South Africa has dismissed reports claiming that Ghana rejected a planned visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa, clarifying that the engagement has only been postponed and remains part of ongoing bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Speaking on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Tuesday, July 7, President Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said media reports suggesting Ghana had turned down the South African leader’s visit misrepresented the situation.
He explained that the planned engagement was connected to the Ghana-South Africa Binational Commission (BNC), a long-standing platform through which the two countries review and strengthen cooperation, rather than a request for a standalone state visit.
According to Mr. Magwenya, South Africa hosted the last BNC meeting in 2024, making it Ghana’s turn to host the next session. He noted that discussions between the two governments were simply aimed at confirming arrangements for the meeting.
“We are disappointed with the manner in which this matter has been handled and reported because it does not reflect the true nature of the development,” he said.
“The date had long been agreed that Ghana would host the South Africa-Ghana Binational Commission. This is a regular meeting of the structure that manages cooperation between the two countries. The last meeting was held in 2024 and was hosted by South Africa. It follows that Ghana was to host the next iteration of the BNC.”
Mr. Magwenya stressed that the diplomatic correspondence exchanged between Accra and Pretoria was a routine process to finalise the meeting and should not be interpreted as Ghana rejecting a visit by President Ramaphosa.
His comments come after reports suggested Ghana had declined the South African President’s visit amid concerns over the death of a Ghanaian national and renewed xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in South Africa.
President Ramaphosa had been expected to travel to Ghana in the first week of August to attend the Ghana-South Africa Binational Commission meeting and hold engagements aimed at deepening bilateral relations.
However, following consultations between both governments, the visit has been postponed, with a new date expected to be announced by mutual agreement.
