South Africa processes 663 Ghanaians for repatriation after immigration checks

The Border Management Authority (BMA) confirmed it processed 663 Ghanaian nationals for repatriation from South Africa via OR Tambo International Airport over the weekend.

Two chartered departures handled over weekend

On Saturday the Ghanaian High Commission in Pretoria took 332 Ghanaian nationals to OR Tambo for repatriation. BMA immigration carried out verification and clearance; 170 travellers used Ghanaian ordinary passports and 162 used emergency travel certificates.

During processing, BMA officials found that 321 of the Saturday group had overstayed in South Africa by 30 days or longer and were declared undesirable in terms of section 30 of the Immigration Act read with regulation 27(3)(c) of the Immigration Regulations. At the conclusion of checks, 323 passengers were found eligible to depart and subsequently boarded a chartered flight arranged by the Ghanaian government.

However, nine passengers were offloaded from that flight. They included two couples and their five children. Airport personnel declared the wife of one couple and the husband of the other medically unfit to travel; airport paramedics transferred the two travellers to the airport clinic.

Sunday group and asylum withdrawals

On Sunday, another 331 Ghanaians were processed. Among them 117 travelled on ordinary passports and 90 on emergency travel certificates. In addition, 37 minor children born in South Africa were processed using emergency travel certificates.

BMA officials also processed 25 asylum seekers who voluntarily submitted withdrawal letters to cancel their asylum applications. During verification, 170 travellers in the Sunday group were found to have overstayed by 30 days or more.

At the end of Sunday’s process, 341 passengers, including 10 deportees brought by the Department of Home Affairs from the Lindela Holding Facility, were cleared for departure. One traveller did not check in; the remaining 340 boarded a chartered flight arranged by the Ghanaian government.

Background and diplomatic tensions

Last month the Ghanaian government said it would repatriate citizens from South Africa after anti-immigrant protests flared. Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Anani Quashie, said there were close to 16 000 Ghanaians in South Africa.

The first group left on 27 May after verification delays. Immigration checks on that initial list showed that of 300 Ghanaians on the first list, only 10 were legally in the country.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola responded to Ghana’s public criticism of South Africa’s handling of the repatriations. In a statement he said:

“Let there be no misunderstanding: we will vigorously defend any frivolous or baseless lawsuit emanating from Ghana against South Africa.”

He added that South Africa had hoped the repatriation would proceed in a “humane” and “cordial” manner and warned against public statements that, in his words, were “characterised by incomplete information and outright misinformation, devoid of any diplomatic decorum.”

What officials emphasised

• BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato confirmed the processing of 663 Ghanaian nationals for repatriation via OR Tambo over the weekend.
• Large numbers in the groups were found to have overstayed by 30 days or longer and were declared undesirable under the Immigration Act and Regulations.
• Some travellers were offloaded for medical reasons and airport paramedics attended to them.

The BMA’s processing over the two days resulted in chartered flights carrying most of the cleared travellers back to Ghana, while a small number were offloaded or did not board after processing.