Ghanaians in South Africa fear for businesses amid fresh xenophobic threats, to vacate shops by September 30

Some Ghanaians living in South Africa say they are increasingly worried about their safety and livelihoods following reported threats by protesting groups to force them to vacate their businesses by September 30.

The concerns have emerged amid renewed xenophobic tensions in parts of South Africa, with more than 1,900 Ghanaian nationals already evacuated from the country.

However, some Ghanaians who remain in South Africa say they are uncertain about the future of their businesses, particularly after the government ended the evacuation exercise.

One affected Ghanaian said some residents had received letters instructing them to leave their shops before the September 30 deadline.

“They said on the 30th of September, they are going to do what they did. With some of our brothers, they sent them letters to vacate their salons before 30th of September. It is not all the provinces but some of us, where we are staying, the situation is not good.”

She said some affected Ghanaians had moved to another province in the hope of receiving assistance to return to Ghana but had since found themselves struggling to meet their basic needs.

“We are now stranded in another province where we don’t even have what to eat and where to sleep.”

According to her, efforts to seek further assistance after an engagement with the Ghanaian Ambassador had not yielded the expected support.

She said officials at the Ghanaian mission informed them that the repatriation exercise had ended and that they would have to make their own arrangements to return home.

“The workers there told us that the repatriation was over and there was nothing they can do and so we should manage and get our tickets to back home.”