South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, has stated that nearly 74% of Ghanaians recently returned home had violated the country’s immigration laws and were subsequently declared undesirable through established legal procedures.
“As I’ve said earlier on, with the bulk of all Ghanaians that have come back home, almost 74% had overstayed, and they had been declared undesirable through our processes, and this is the law, and this has been communicated to the High Commissioner,” Mr Lamola said.
Speaking on the Super Morning Show on June 10, Mr Lamola said that despite these immigration breaches, the South African government remains committed to protecting all persons within its borders, including Ghanaian nationals.
“We are indeed protecting all people within the borders of South Africa. Constitutionally, we are duty-bound to protect everyone, including Ghanaian nationals,” he stated.
He noted that many Ghanaians continue to make meaningful contributions to South Africa’s economy across various sectors and deserve protection.
“There is a huge number of them in the various sectors of our economy. The South African government is duty-bound to ensure that they feel safe and play their role as they are supposed to in the country,” he added.
Mr Lamola stressed that constitutional protections apply to everyone living in South Africa, regardless of immigration status.
“The Constitution does not differentiate. The government has a responsibility to ensure that everyone is safe,” he said.
The remarks were made as the government condemned violence against foreign nationals and reiterated its obligation to ensure the safety of all residents.
“It is for that reason that we are condemning the violence against foreign nationals, because it is our duty as the government of South Africa to protect everyone within our borders,” he explained.
At the same time, he said the government would continue to enforce immigration laws to address irregular migration.
“We also have a duty to deal with irregular migration by enforcing immigration policy,” he added.
