The first group of Ghanaians have arrived home after being repatriated from South Africa.
The Ghanaian government is repatriating its citizens from the country amid anti-immigrant protests.
Organisations including March and March and Operation Dudula have taken to the streets demanding the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals in the country. The organisations have given undocumented foreign nationals a deadline of 30 June to leave the country, failing which they have threatened a national shutdown.
Last week, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Anani Quashie, said there were close to 16 000 Ghanaians in South Africa.
There was celebration and singing as the first group boarded the first flight back to Ghana. They were welcomed by the country’s foreign minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, upon landing in Accra.
Watch video of Ghanaians celebrating
“I welcome all of you to Ghana, your own country, to the motherland. Today, the Mahama administration is demonstrating that wherever Ghanaians are, we are Ghanaians. We will make sure you are protected, your dignity is respected, and we will go to the ends of this world to bring you back home safely,” said Ablakwa.
“I believe sincerely that sometimes God has different ways of opening doors for us. So let’s be very optimistic. As a nation, we shall always stand by our people, no matter where you find yourself.”
‘Undocumented’
However, returning home was not easy for Ghanaians, who lacked valid papers to either remain in South Africa or travel.
According to the Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), Dr Michael Masiapato, of the 300 processed at the airport, 25 were from the Lindela holding facility and were brought by the Immigration Inspectorate of the Department of Home Affairs. 275 were brought by the Ghanaian High Commissioner.
“Following an intense check-in process, the travellers proceeded to BMA immigration, wherein about 90% of them were found to be undocumented, and the Ghanaian Embassy had to issue them with Emergency Travel Certificates (this is a one-way single-page document which allows a traveller to return to their country of origin),” explained Masiapato.
“Most of the travellers were found to have overstayed for more than 30 days, whilst some overstayed by a year or more. As a result, they were declared undesirable in terms of Sec 30 of the Immigration Act, read regulations 27(3)(c) of the Immigration Regulations.”
At the end of the processing, 295 passengers were found eligible to depart.
However; five travellers were refused departure. Here’s why
- One passenger held a valid asylum-seeker permit. As such, he could not be allowed to depart without cancelling his application for protection in South Africa, as that would have been tantamount to refoulement. All asylum seekers are required to cancel their application for protection if they are to return to their country from which they were fleeing.
- One passenger did not have a valid travel document because he was in possession of an expired passport, and the Embassy had not issued him an Emergency Travel Certificate.
- One woman was attempting to depart the country with two minor children who are understood to be her sister’s. However, she did not have any documents to prove any relation, nor the required consent documentation from the alleged sister.
The travellers who were denied departure were handed back to the Ghanaian High Commissioner for future repatriation should they meet the relevant immigration requirements for departure.
