Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, has announced that the final repatriation of about 900 Ghanaians who voluntarily opted to leave South Africa following recent xenophobic attacks will begin on July 25.
The exercise, he said, marks the final phase of the government’s evacuation programme for affected Ghanaian nationals and follows earlier repatriation flights that have already returned hundreds of citizens to Ghana.
Addressing members of the Ghanaian community in South Africa on Tuesday July 14, he said the latest operation was made possible through support from the Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after concerns over the safety and welfare of Ghanaians caught up in the attacks.
He noted that nearly 926 Ghanaians have already been repatriated under the previous phases of the exercise, with the remaining registered individuals expected to return home during the final operation.
“We are going to do the final repatriation of close to 900 Ghanaians who have voluntarily given their names here in South Africa that they want to go,” he said.
He explained that the repatriation would be carried out in phases, with scheduled flights departing each day until all the registered individuals have been flown back to Ghana.
According to him, only Ghanaians who have already completed the registration and screening process will be eligible for the exercise, stressing that no fresh registrations will be accepted.
He urged those yet to register not to report to the High Commission expecting to be included, explaining that the authorities were working with verified lists agreed upon with South African officials.
Mr Quashie further appealed to beneficiaries to comply with the arrangements communicated by the High Commission and avoid travelling from various provinces until they have been officially notified of their departure dates.
The High Commissioner added that once the final batch of about 900 people has been repatriated, the mass evacuation exercise will officially end, with any future requests for assistance to return home being handled individually through Ghana’s consular services.
He expressed gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama and Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for facilitating the evacuation, describing the intervention as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to the welfare of Ghanaians living abroad.
