Xenophobia: Ghana to evacuate 1,000 more citizens from South Africa

What the report says

The Punch, citing AFP, reports that Ghana plans to evacuate another 1,000 citizens from South Africa following violent anti-migrant unrest. Ghana’s foreign ministry said late Saturday that special flights carrying Ghanaian migrant workers were expected to begin arriving on Sunday and Monday. The government described the operation as the final stage of its effort to bring nationals home.

According to the report, Ghana has already repatriated 926 people from South Africa. President John Mahama has urged the African Union to take up what he called xenophobic attacks in South Africa, and has accused the Pretoria government of failing to do enough to halt the violence. Ghana also reportedly postponed a planned visit by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The Punch reports that the latest evacuations follow accounts that more than 160,000 foreign nationals have left South Africa in the past two months as hostility toward undocumented migrants has intensified. Based on an AFP tally from repatriating governments, those leaving include citizens of Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho and Uganda. South African authorities have put the migrant death toll at at least four, while some foreign governments have cited higher figures for their own citizens.

The unrest has unfolded during weeks of anti-migrant protests and vigilante activity, with groups accusing undocumented foreigners of taking jobs and driving crime. The report notes that analysts link the anger to wider economic and governance pressures, including unemployment and poor public services, making the evacuations a significant regional diplomatic and humanitarian issue.