A man draped in a Ghana flag stands among other Ghanaians as Ghana repatriates hundreds of its citizens from South Africa following instances of violence against migrants from other sub-Saharan African countries, amid a wave of protests against illegal immigration, at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, South Africa. Image @ REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
About 300 Ghanaian nationals, including women and children, departed South Africa on Wednesday in a state-facilitated repatriation, as worsening xenophobic tensions across the country left many foreign nationals feeling unsafe.
The group boarded a flight from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport in what authorities described as a voluntary process, with a broader list of around 800 Ghanaian nationals having indicated their desire to return home following weeks of anti-immigrant protests that have rattled migrant communities across South Africa.
The repatriation lays bare the scale of immigration irregularities in the country. A South African immigration official told local television station eNCA: “What we found is that of the 300, only 10 of them are legal in the country, so quite a number of them are in non-compliance to our immigration act.”
For many of those leaving, the decision was driven by relentless harassment. “I’m happy that I’m going to my country … it’s not easy to be in someone else’s country and be disturbed all the time,” said one Ghanaian national who declined to give his name.
The protests that triggered the exodus have been fuelled by demands for stricter controls on undocumented migrants, with demonstrators accusing foreigners of contributing to crime and unemployment — charges that migrant rights groups reject as scapegoating. They argue that migrants are being blamed for South Africa’s deep-rooted economic struggles, including an unemployment rate that hovers above 30% and disproportionately affects the country’s Black population.
The unrest has in several instances turned violent, with migrants from various sub-Saharan African countries reporting targeted attacks. South African authorities have condemned the violence and pledged to crack down on xenophobic attacks, insisting such acts are incompatible with the country’s constitutional democracy.
Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, sought to frame the repatriation as a diplomatic measure rather than a sign of strained relations between Accra and Pretoria. “The demonstrators have said they want us to work together. We must ensure that those who are undocumented are returned home and that institutions are allowed to function,” he said, dismissing speculation of a diplomatic rift with South Africa.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah