The South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Western Cape has confirmed that a Ghanaian man was fatally shot in Nyanga and early findings indicate the attack was connected to extortion instead of anti-foreigner violence.
In a Facebook post, SAPS named the victim as 35-year-old Kwabena Boagen, who was gunned down on Monday, June 29, at the Nyanga Terminus in Cape Town.
The police said the shooting happened around 3:45 p.m., outside NTG Hair Salon and Shoe Repairs, when unknown assailants fired at him and ran off. Paramedics arrived at the scene but declared Mr. Boagen dead.
“The South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Western Cape confirms the murder of a Ghanaian national in Nyanga on Monday, 29 June, 2026, in circumstances believed to be linked to the crime of extortion,” the statement read.
Detectives said evidence from the crime scene points to extortion as the probable reason for the killing, but no suspects have been arrested yet. A murder case has been opened, with Nyanga detectives handling the probe to track down those involved.
SAPS added that investigators have already spoken to a family member of the deceased and offered condolences on behalf of the service. Authorities also stated that Mr. Boagen resided in nearby Khayelitsha but was employed in Nyanga, where the attack took place.
The Department of Health is carrying out an autopsy in line with South African legal requirements, police confirmed.
The SAPS update follows a statement from Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which denounced the killing and described it as related to anti-immigrant protests and xenophobic violence in Khayelitsha.
SAPS, however, said it has no record of any such murder in that area.“With regard to the media release issued by the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the South African Police Service has no record of the alleged murder in Khayelitsha,” the statement noted.
