By Charmaine Ndlela
More than 800 Ghanaian nationals living in South Africa have registered to be evacuated through the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria, according to Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
In a statement posted on X on Thursday, Ablakwa said the planned evacuation has been delayed to allow authorities to comply with South African legal requirements and complete passenger screening processes.
“Considering the numbers involved and South African legal conditions that have to be met, including mandatory passenger screening, multi-institutional coordination, and high-flight permit requirements, the planned evacuation has been deferred by a few days to enable our High Commission to meet these conditions,” Ablakwa said.
“The Government of Ghana assures our nationals in South Africa that every effort is being pursued to ensure their safe return home,” he said.
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The latest update follows an earlier announcement that the first group of 300 Ghanaian nationals was expected to leave South Africa on Thursday amid growing safety concerns linked to recent anti-immigration protests and threats against foreign nationals.
According to Ablakwa, the evacuation operation is being fully funded by the Ghanaian government as part of an emergency intervention aimed at protecting its citizens living in South Africa.
Ghana has described the threats and intimidation as “xenophobic attacks”, while South Africa has said it will act against xenophobic violence and protect foreign nationals, while also warning against unverified claims and fake videos of alleged attacks.
In an interview with Newsroom Afrika on Thursday, 22-year-old Sylvester Boakye said his decision to return to Ghana was not driven by alleged xenophobic attacks, but because he wanted to return home.
The Ghanaian government has said that officials from both countries remain in constant communication as preparations for the evacuation continue.
