South Africans Accuse Ghana of Disinformation After Presidency Rejects State Visit Denial Claims

• The South African Presidency has responded to Ghanaian media reports claiming Accra refused President Cyril Ramaphosa's state visit request
• Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya clarified what the meeting between the two nations was actually about, saying it was not something new
• South Africans took to social media to weigh in on the claims coming out of Ghana, questioning what the aim of spreading what they termed disinformation was

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG – South Africans are questioning why there’s so much disinformation coming out of West Africa about the country following reports that Ghana denied President Cyril Ramaphosa’s formal request for a state visit.

Several Ghanaian outlets cited unnamed diplomatic sources on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, claiming that Mahama's government had signalled that Ramaphosa would not be welcome in Accra given the recent wave of attacks on Ghanaian nationals in South Africa.

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The South African Presidency has pushed back against the reports, calling the claims inaccurate and pointing to a broader pattern of misinformation from Ghana's capital.

What did the Presidency say?

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya clarified on Tuesday that the diplomatic correspondence between Pretoria and Accra was never about a state visit but rather the scheduling of the third session of the Ghana-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC), which Ramaphosa and Ghanaian President John Mahama were to co-chair in Accra from 4 to 7 August.

"There was no request for a state visit," Magwenya said.

"We were seeking confirmation of the seating of the BNC, which had already been agreed to at the last meeting of the BNC in 2024. This is the normal correspondence that precedes the BNC meetings as bilateral relationship management structures that meet regularly," he added.

He explained that the dates had been under discussion for several months and that the most recent correspondence was largely procedural.

Senior South African diplomats told News24 that such reports formed part of a troubling trend.

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"We have noted a pattern of misinformation or disinformation, particularly out of Accra in recent months, and this is concerning," one diplomat said.

Relations between the two countries have been strained since earlier this year, when Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa took South Africa's handling of xenophobic violence to the African Union without prior notice to Pretoria. Ghana was among the first nations to begin repatriating its citizens from South Africa.

Citizens react to reports coming out of Ghana

The Presidency’s denial drew immediate and strong responses from South Africans online, many of whom expressed frustration at what they described as a pattern of negative narratives being directed at their country from West Africa.

@hodmudau wrote:

"These guys are hellbent on tarnishing the image of South Africa. I wonder why?"

@Trevor_cmt alleged a coordinated effort, writing:

"West African media is playing a misinformation and disinformation playbook. Very well used by their funders. Push out false media so the populace believes it even if it's disproved later."

@El_Dudrino added:

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“What South Africans are learning now is that these people have no shame; they will lie and stand by it even when facts are presented to them. They have their cousins planted all over the world in the UK and the USA to push the same propaganda. It's not about the truth; they want SA dead."

@wisdomsihle redirected attention to challenges elsewhere on the continent, writing:

"Kanti, what is wrong with West Africa? Others are discussing SA in their Parliament, instead of the kids and teachers who were kidnapped or how to deal with bandits."

@Levigos wrote:

"The South African Government should just stay put and react to any actions by these ungrateful African countries. We've allowed their citizens to illegally reside in our country in the name of ubuntu, and all that means nothing to them. Well tough. SA is also enforcing its immigration laws."

South Africans applaud a Ghanaian national

Briefly News reported that a Ghanaian national took to social media to commend South African authorities for a cleanup campaign in Johannesburg.

The social media user noted that while there are allegations of xenophobia, South African authorities were targeting illegal structures.

Social media users commended the Ghanaian national for highlighting positive changes in South Africa amid the allegations of xenophobia.

Source: Briefly News