The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says the second batch of Ghanaians willing to leave South Africa amidst the recent xenophobic attacks is yet to be evacuated from the country because the government of Ghana is still finalising the chartered flight permits.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Seoul on Monday, Mr Ablakwa said everything was in place on Ghana’s end and that the holdup lay with South African authorities processing the flight permit request.
“I can assure you that all is set for the next batch to arrive. We’re just waiting for the South African authorities to finalise our request for the flight permits so that our chartered jets can move in and bring all the Ghanaians who have registered,” he said.
The first batch of 300 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa arrived in Accra on Wednesday, May 27.
The evacuees which included 26 persons detained for visa violations in South Africa, touched down at about 3 p.m. in a chartered Ethiopia Airlines flight.
Mr Ablakwa said the number of Ghanaians who have registered for evacuation has now exceeded 900, up from an earlier figure of around 800. He did not give a specific departure date for the next flight.
The minister also pushed back against claims that those seeking evacuation were largely undocumented migrants, describing such assertions as disinformation. He said the registrations were being carried out in collaboration with South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, whose officials were present at Ghana’s High Commission to screen applicants — checking fingerprints, documentation, and wanted lists.
“So far, not a single Ghanaian is of interest to the South African authorities,” he said, adding that Ghana was not responsible for the crime concerns being cited in connection with the xenophobic tensions in South Africa.
His remarks came amid a disputed claim from South African immigration officials that only 10 of the 300 Ghanaians in the first evacuation batch had valid documentation to be in the country — a claim Ablakwa flatly rejected, challenging those making the assertion to produce evidence.
The minister said President John Dramani Mahama had given clear instructions that no Ghanaian in distress should be abandoned, describing the government’s approach as a foreign policy built on compassion.
“He has said that all Ghanaians in harm’s way, in distress, who are being harassed, being dehumanised, we should not leave anyone behind,” Mr Ablakwa said.
