“We no longer feel safe” — Ghanaians in South Africa plead for urgent evacuation
Ghanaians living in South Africa have made heartfelt appeals to be brought home, saying the resurgence of xenophobic hostilities has made their continued stay in the country untenable.
The pleas came during a gathering at the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria, where visibly distressed nationals recounted harrowing experiences of fear, intimidation, and financial hardship, urging authorities to accelerate evacuation efforts without delay.
One woman, speaking through tears, said she had been trying to leave for some time after circumstances in South Africa turned against her. “Since last year, I have wanted to leave this country because the situation that brought me here did not work out. I want to go back home, and I need to go back home,” she said.
A Ghanaian teacher who said he was working in the country legally described a system he felt was designed to push migrants into irregular status regardless of their documentation.
“We don’t want to stay here. I’m sick and tired of this country. I should have been fat but look at how I am. I have been working as a teacher in this country,” he said.
He went on to allege that South Africa’s Home Affairs department had effectively stripped some Ghanaians of their legal standing, even revoking permanent residency in some cases.
He also claimed that business permit holders who had successfully renewed their documents multiple times were subsequently accused of fraud. “They came with business permits, they renewed here three times. At the end of the other renewals, they said fraudulent,” he said.
A woman from outside Pretoria raised alarm over Ghanaians in outlying areas who are too frightened to travel to register for the evacuation. “Some of us outside Pretoria can’t even travel by bus or taxis to come and register their names because they are scared,” she said, questioning what safety provisions existed for those unable to make the journey into the city.
A business owner described a climate of routine harassment, alleging that police officers regularly visited his premises to intimidate him.
“A police officer can come to your office and intimidate you to the extent that your whole day will be messed up,” he said, adding that he and others simply wanted a calm and dignified exit. “We didn’t come here with anything so we can just leave, so we don’t have any arguments or fights.”
Another businessman painted a bleak picture of what lies ahead, warning that the current hostilities show no signs of subsiding and revealing that some Ghanaian entrepreneurs are already in talks to hand over their businesses to South African counterparts before departing. “What we are seeing or witnessing is not something that is going to end today.
I’m looking at a worse scenario as a business owner — discussing with South African counterparts if they can actually have a takeover plan of Ghanaian businesses so that we can leave peacefully,” he said.
On the evacuation timeline, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, confirmed in a Sunday interview with DW Africa that the first group of returnees is expected to land in Accra on Wednesday, May 27. He said screening and verification of registered individuals is currently underway.
The first flight is set to carry approximately 300 passengers, with two further flights to follow in the days after. “The first group has an aircraft that will take 300 and after some few days, we will take another 300 and then there will be a third flight with another 300 to ensure that we get everyone home,” Quashie said.
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