The Ghanaian government has begun another phase of evacuating its citizens from South Africa, with about 1,000 nationals expected to arrive in Accra on Sunday and Monday amid growing anti-immigration protests in the country.
The latest exercise comes as South African authorities warned groups carrying out door-to-door inspections of foreign nationals’ documents to stop, describing the actions as unlawful and disruptive to official immigration operations.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the evacuation would be carried out in batches for citizens who had registered with the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria and expressed a desire to return home.
“This evacuation exercise is for people who have already registered with the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria to voluntarily leave the country,” the minister said.
He assured citizens that the government would continue supporting Ghanaians who wished to leave South Africa.
“The government of Ghana and our high commission in Pretoria remain alert and have reactivated their emergency consular response as we stand ready to assist all Ghanaians living in South Africa to return home safely.”
The latest evacuation follows an earlier exercise in June, when nearly 1,000 Ghanaians were repatriated following renewed xenophobic attacks and harassment targeting African migrants. Ghana was among the first African countries to begin bringing its nationals home after the violence escalated.
Meanwhile, South Africa says it has intensified efforts to tackle illegal migration across the country.
Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration, Nkhensani Mmamoloko Kubayi, disclosed during a media briefing on Sunday that authorities processed and deported 68,138 foreign nationals of different nationalities between June 14 and July 24.
Kubayi said Malawian nationals accounted for the highest number of deportations, followed by Zimbabweans and Mozambicans.
She also revealed that law enforcement agencies had opened 354 cases involving the arrest and prosecution of people accused of violating immigration laws or employing undocumented migrants.
According to her, police also arrested an additional 69 suspects in Jeffrey Bay last week, with the individuals scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
The committee further disclosed that immigration courts concluded 28,736 immigration-related cases between April and June, the majority involving deportation proceedings.
Addressing reports of civilians conducting immigration checks, the South African government condemned the practice and warned those involved to desist immediately.
“We have observed that some individuals are impersonating Home Affairs officials and targeting foreign nationals and some businesses through these illegal identity searches and, in some cases, extortion.
“We want to urge whoever is involved in this wrong practice to stop or face the might of the law,” Kubayi said.
She added that police had already arrested seven people allegedly involved in the illegal operations.
The government also confirmed the death of a foreign national in Bellview during a recent immigration enforcement operation, saying the individual allegedly resisted officers while they carried out their duties.
Authorities said the Independent Police Investigative Directorate is investigating the incident and promised to release its findings once the inquiry is completed.
