Only 10 out of 300 Ghanaians being evacuated were legal migrants — South African officials claim

South African immigration authorities have claimed that only 10 out of about 300 Ghanaians currently being repatriated from the country are legally resident.

The development comes amid ongoing xenophobic tensions in parts of South Africa, where several African migrants have in recent months faced hostility and attacks, with some locals accusing them of taking jobs meant for citizens.

In response, the Government of Ghana has initiated a repatriation exercise to evacuate citizens who have expressed willingness to return home.

The first batch, numbering about 300 people, is expected to arrive in Ghana on Wednesday, May 27.

Speaking in a video shared by South Africa-based broadcaster eNCA on the same day, an immigration official said most of those being repatriated were found to be in violation of immigration laws.

“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,” the official stated.

The official further indicated that enforcement measures would be taken against those found to have breached South African immigration regulations.

“We found that many of them did not comply with the South African immigration legislation, and there are certain transgressions found, and therefore we obviously will have to make sure that certain sanctions enforced,” the official added.

The Ghanaian Embassy in South Africa is said to be collaborating with local authorities to ensure orderly processing and safe evacuation of the affected nationals.

The repatriation exercise is expected to continue in phases as both governments work to manage migration concerns and diplomatic coordination.