Ghana Begins Repatriating 300 Citizens From South Africa
Last update: May 27, 2026
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Imagine packing up your whole life into a suitcase and heading home—not because you want to, but because tensions have made staying too risky. That’s the reality for hundreds of Ghanaians leaving South Africa this week.
So, here’s what’s happening, according to *cbinews.tv*: Ghana has kicked off a voluntary repatriation programme to bring its citizens home from South Africa, with the first batch of about 300 Ghanaians flying out of OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Wednesday. Another flight was lined up for Sunday.
Picture the scene at the airport: families, travellers, trolleys piled high with suitcases, while officials and police kept the whole departure process moving.
Now, not everyone sees this as just a safety move. Professor Loren Landau from the University of Witwatersrand’s African Centre for Migration & Society reckons there’s some politics at play. As he told *cbinews.tv*: “I think in this case, it's less about Ghana trying to protect its citizens per se, or these 300. They could probably move elsewhere in the country or get assistance within South Africa. This is a symbolic move to try to send a message to their sort of bigger counterpart, South Africa, that this is politically unacceptable."
Some of the folks heading home had been held at the Lindela Repatriation Centre over immigration issues. In total, more than 800 Ghanaians have signed up with the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria to be evacuated, after weeks of protests and growing anxiety among foreign nationals.
Ghanaian authorities say they’re working hand-in-hand with South African officials on the repatriation, mainly because of concerns over migrants’ safety and well-being.
All of this follows fresh demonstrations over illegal immigration in parts of South Africa. Frustrations around unemployment, crime, and access to services have been fuelling tensions over undocumented migration. For their part, South African authorities have condemned violence against foreign nationals, though they’ve also acknowledged the public’s concerns about illegal immigration.
Source: cbinews.tv
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