Ghanaian nationals lined up at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport early on Wednesday to catch one of the first flights back home, following waves of anti-immigrant protests in South Africa that have intensified safety concerns.
In what authorities called a ‘voluntary repatriation’ process for Ghanaian citizens who claim they no longer feel safe, the 300 individuals included women and children.
Authorities in Ghana and South Africa have been collaborating on a list of about 800 individuals who have expressed a desire to depart.
”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,” an unidentified South African immigration official told the local television station eNCA.
The return came after a wave of anti-immigration demonstrations in recent weeks, during which activists called for stricter regulations on what they called unauthorised migrants and accused foreigners of causing unemployment and crime.
Violent incidents against migrants from other sub-Saharan African nations have coincided with the protests.
A Ghanaian who was about to depart claimed that the decision was motivated by persistent harassment.
He declined to provide his name, saying, “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.”
According to migrant rights organisations, South Africans are using them as scapegoats for the nation’s economic issues, such as the high unemployment rate, which is above 30% and disproportionately impacts Black people.
Benjamin Quashie, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, stated that the departures were a part of attempts to reduce tensions while maintaining close diplomatic relations between the two nations.
“The protesters have expressed their desire for us to collaborate. Quashie dismissed rumours of a diplomatic rift with South Africa, saying, “We …must ensure that those who are undocumented are returned home and that institutions are allowed to function.”
