Ghana Evacuates Citizens From South Africa

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]We're following breaking news out of South Africa where about 300 Ghanaian citizens are now at the airport and set to leave the country on a government arranged chartered flight. The Ghanaian High Commissioner to South Africa says relations between Ghana and South Africa remain strong despite the ongoing repatriation of citizens following anti-migrant protests in parts of the country. The evacuation comes amid growing concerns over the safety of foreign nationals as tension links to anti-migrant democratic demonstrations continue to rise. Officials say the chartered flight organized by the Ghanaian government is part of efforts to ensure the safe return of affected citizens. The High Commissioner, however, insists that both countries continue to maintain cordial diplomatic relations despite the situation on the ground. Our correspondent Bongani Siqeba is currently live at O.R.

[00:00:57]Tambo International Airport where the 300 Ghanaians are guarded and preparing for departure. And she will give us an update. Bongani, please go ahead and give us an update. Earlier you were with them where they were boarding the bus to the O.R. Tambo International Airport and now they are there. Can you tell us more in this situation, please? Yes, Queen. A very good morning to you and absolutely they have boarded the buses and now we are at the O.R. Tambo International Airport. I'll just ask my colleagues Bongani Siqeba to just show you around while I look for the ambassador because we're not allowed to speak to these individuals, but I'll try my like my luck. So, many of them are now leaving back to their country. It's end of the chapter for some who believe that they cannot stay in South Africa anymore because of the anti-migrant sentiments that we have been seeing and protest. So now they are going back to their own country. As you can see that um they are going through uh immigration.

[00:02:08]Then from there they go and bought go back to their country. But I'm trying to see if I could uh get hold of uh the high commissioner maybe if I could speak to him because I can't speak to these individuals now.

[00:02:25]But what is happening now they are on their way to their country following the protest that we have seen on the streets anti-migrant protest that we have seen on the streets.

[00:02:36]Uh hello mama, how are you? Let me just try. How are you? How are you feeling going back home? I'm fine. I'm not ready to talk. Okay, she doesn't want to talk.

[00:02:45]Let me just see if I can try someone else. Um Hi, hello. Hi. How are you? I'm good.

[00:02:53]I'm good. How are you feeling going to Well, I'm feeling very happy going back home. Why are you going South Africa?

[00:02:59]Due to the xenophobic attacks and the rampant attacks on us foreigners. And they said we must go back home and fix our country. So we are going. Have you been attacked? If you can tell us about the events. Yeah, I was attacked two times.

[00:03:13]Even on the 4th of April this year I was attacked.

[00:03:18]I I was almost stabbed.

[00:03:20]So uh I'm not safe here. I just want to go home. And you say how you uh you feel going back home? I'm very excited.

[00:03:28]What's exciting you?

[00:03:30]Yeah, because home is home, you understand? And here we are we are facing a lot of challenges because you said that we should go home and uh we don't have peace. So yeah.

[00:03:39]I'm very very happy to go home. If you could tell us how did you come to South Africa?

[00:03:44]Uh I came by visitor visa and uh I passed through here at Tambo.

[00:03:49]And now How long you been legal in the country?

[00:03:52]Uh initially, I was using uh what do you call it? Uh asylum.

[00:03:57]But along the line, they canceled it.

[00:03:59]They said that they are not going to renew it for us. So, that's how it is. So, now I don't have it anymore. Did you face any xenophobic attacks? You personally.

[00:04:10]Uh not really, but I've see- I've faced uh attack once in the Witbank because I was uh from work. It was around 7:00 then I was going. So, I met two guys and they were they wanted to stab me. So, I just raised up my hand and they they took everything that they want to take. Then I just left. How many years have you been in South Africa?

[00:04:32]>> 10 years.

[00:04:33]So, what have you been doing?

[00:04:35]Uh I've been operating salon business.

[00:04:38]Thank you so much. Safe journey.

[00:04:40]Okay. Uh so, these are some of uh the citizens of Ghana that are leaving back to their own country. I'm still trying to see if I could locate uh the High Commissioner just to speak to him. And on the other side, let me try on the other side, there is a queue. Also, let me try if to see if I can speak uh to some of uh them who are on the queue, how they feel about uh going back to their country. And um let me just try um Mama, how are you? I'm fine. Thank you.

[00:05:16]How Hi, how are you?

[00:05:20]How How are you? Okay, they are they are being told that uh no comment. So, this means that maybe we won't be able to speak to anyone. But I'm still trying to see if I can locate the High Commissioner if he can still speak to us um again, but he seems to be very busy.

[00:05:40]I'll still ask my colleague Sbonelo just to show you around the queues.

[00:05:46]Uh the papers are being pro pro processed um so that they can go the other side to the immigration then from there the chapter of South Africa will end here for many of them who are willingly going back uh to their home country.

[00:06:05]Okay, we have the high commissioner.

[00:06:06]High commissioner, good morning.

[00:06:09]Uh, the work has been done now we are here.

[00:06:13]What are they saying uh now? Well, there's nothing being said. They're taking them through the departure formalities. Um obviously they have to go through um checking of their luggages, checking of their details that they're on the system. Um we have a group of um other prisoners that were brought in here. Prisoners not prisoners who have done criminal offenses but these are immigration prisoners. That's the other part of it so we're just taking them through the processes so that they can go back to Ghana. How many are there in total? Um here we have something close to about 330 30 uh but unfortunately the aircraft is going to take 300. There's another aircraft that leaves in a couple of days. That aircraft will also take the other persons from from from this weekend. And if I could ask, how are tensions uh between South Africa and Ghana following uh this? There's no tension. There's no tension. This is a government that cares for its people.

[00:07:06]This is a government that believes that once its citizens have challenges and they want to come back home, they come back home. This is a government that cares that none of its citizens should be maltreated. I think that in a nutshell we are not having a diplomatic row. We have a government that is taking care of its citizens and that should be the case. And we understand that most of them that are here uh were legal or are still legal in the country.

[00:07:29]Yeah, they are but they they decided that they are not welcome anymore in this country. You cannot force them to stay in this country. Most of them are people that have documentations. Most of them are people that have submitted that they want their documentations um um renewed. Department of Home Affairs has not yet renewed them. What do we do?

[00:07:46]They believe that they will go home, get things in order and they come. Again, the government of Ghana has told them that they will be reintegrated into the Ghanaian community. So, for us, it is a privilege that they are going back home because going back home, they are welcome. Going back home, nobody will come on the streets and harass them. The harassment, the the the the the the name-calling.

[00:08:06]All these things are going to come to an end. Now that they are going home, I'm sure that everybody will be happy. We are told that they are taking people's jobs here. We understand that these things are all immigration-related offenses and we believe that once they get home, we are also doing our best to help the government of South Africa to regulate the situation of illegal immigrants in this country.

[00:08:30]Okay, Ambassador, is there maybe will there be a conversation with the South African government on Like I indicated, there's no diplomatic row between Ghana and South Africa. No, we don't have a diplomatic row.

[00:08:43]My my foreign affairs minister was here.

[00:08:46]The honorable Ronald Lamola has also spoken that there's no diplomatic row.

[00:08:50]This is voluntary repatriation of Ghanaian citizens in this country who feel that they are no longer welcome, who feel that circumstances in this country are no longer right for them to stay in this country. I believe that for for for us to work with the government of South Africa to get this far, this should indicate to us that there's no diplomatic row because we couldn't have done this on our own. We did it with the direct involvement of the South African government, with the direct involvement of state institutions in in in South Africa, border management, Department of Home Affairs, security services. These were processes that were all done by the institutions in South Africa. If there was a diplomatic row, I don't think we'd have gotten this done. There's no diplomatic row and I keep on getting that question from morning till this evening and let me reiterate that we don't have any diplomatic row with the Republic of South Africa. The two countries are friends. The two countries continue to have multilateral and bilateral relationship. What we are doing is to help our citizens who feel unwelcome in this country to go back home. And I don't think that should be seen as diplomatic row between the two countries. And how many citizens are you expecting to repatriate? Well, we we're looking at a number way above 1,000.

[00:10:02]Um currently, we have about 890 that have registered to this day. We're told that this flight is going to be able to take 300 people. The next flight leaves in a couple of days as well, which will go with other 300 people. We'll continue doing this. The number Those that are in this country Undocumented, some are documented. All of them form part of this group, and all of them are going home.

[00:10:35]Just to follow up on that, just to show Just tell us what's happening and how many people are affected Well, we have close to about 326 people that are currently here. Unfortunately, we're going to only be able to take 300 people at this go.

[00:10:50]Um we are aware that the same aircraft company has been hired again for another batch that leaves um in a couple of days from from now, less than a week. So, what we'll do is that the first batch will go, we'll bring another batch, and then we continue until any Ghanaian in this country that wants to go home is fully repatriated.

[00:11:11]Any questions? Uh that was uh the the High Commissioner of uh Ghana here in South Africa speaking to the media about the process that is going on here. And also speaking about uh the question that has been going on from the media, uh especially asking if there are any tensions between South Africa and Ghana and he says that there are no tensions between the two countries. The two countries will continue to work together. But if I could also ask my colleague just to show you around many citizens of Ghana are here going back home. Let me just try to see if I could speak to try to speak to them. Hello, how are you?

[00:11:57]How do you feel going back home?

[00:12:01]Okay, they don't want to speak but we keep on trying Queen. Hi, how are you? How do you feel about going back home?

[00:12:12]We're fine.

[00:12:18]Okay, this is the response that we keep on getting Queen but these citizens are now going back to their countries. Now they are being processed here then they go to the immigration then from there they leave.

[00:12:34]Our the High Commissioner just told us that there will be a second group that will be leaving also this week. So we wait to see how many people will also be going on Thursday rather that's what the High Commissioner indicated to me Queen.

[00:12:54]Well, thank you Bongani for that update.

[00:12:57]We're still yet to also be concerned as to why the people who are willingly leaving are not being you know allowed to make a comment but again since you're still there following the update I will continue to follow up with you and see how it goes. Well done Bongani. Thank you for the update.