First 300 Ghanaians leave S’Africa after xenophobic tensions

The first repatriation flight carrying Ghanaian nationals from South Africa departed for Accra on Wednesday, according to Ghana’s foreign ministry.

In total, about 800 Ghanaians are expected to leave South Africa after Accra arranged a series of repatriation flights in response to a wave of protests and violence targeting foreigners in the country.

“The information I have indicates that the flight (was) delayed,” but is currently on its way, Fred Duhoe, an aide to Ghana’s foreign minister, told AFP.

An AFP photographer observed hundreds of Ghanaian nationals queuing at O.R. Tambo International Airport outside Johannesburg early on Wednesday.

Flight tracking website FlightAware recorded the plane’s departure just after 11:00 am local time.

The Ghana High Commission in South Africa said that the initial flight would carry about 300 people and is scheduled to land Wednesday afternoon.

Ghana’s government has pledged a reintegration financial package and psycho‑social support for those being evacuated from South Africa.

South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, has long attracted both legal and undocumented African workers.

However, with an unemployment rate exceeding 30 percent, it has experienced repeated spikes of xenophobic and anti‑migrant protests, including renewed violence in recent weeks.

A viral video purportedly showing the assault of a Ghanaian man sparked widespread outrage as it circulated on social media.

The latest tensions have reignited uncomfortable debates across Africa about xenophobia, migration, and the gap between pan‑African rhetoric and the realities faced by migrants on the continent.

AFP

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