By Francis Kobena Tandoh
The government of Ghana has rescheduled the planned evacuation of nationals from South Africa today due to the increasing number of people who have applied for voluntary repatriation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday.
In a statement, the Foreign Affairs Ministry explained that the exercise had to be suspended because of the numbers involved and the need to meet legal conditions with the South African authorities.
The Ghanaian government was scheduled to have evacuated the first batch of 300 nationals from the Southern African country from May 21 following the recent attacks against Ghanaians and other foreign nationals.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to provide an update on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa, which was scheduled to commence today, May 21, 2026. Considering the numbers involved and the South African legal conditions that have to be met, including mandatory passenger screening, multi-institutional coordination, and flight permits, the planned evacuation has been deferred by a few days to enable our High Commission to meet these evacuation conditions,” read the statement.
The ministry further noted that the Ghanaian and South African were working to enhance the pre-evacuation modalities to expedite the process.
A social media video that went viral last month showing Ghanaian nationals being harassed, intimidated, and ordered out of South Africa ignited a wave of public outrage in the West African country.
The country’s foreign affairs minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, condemned the action on behalf of the government and provided Ghanaians in South Africa with the opportunity to voluntarily repatriate back home.
Subsequently, a Ghanaian national at the center of the xenophobic attack, Emmanuel Asamoah, has been evacuated home by the government. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
Find the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs below;
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