Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that 26 Ghanaian prisoners were among the first group of 300 evacuees repatriated from South Africa on Wednesday, May 27, following recent xenophobic attacks in the country.
Speaking after the evacuees arrived at the Accra International Airport, Mr. Ablakwa expressed appreciation to the South African authorities for allowing the detained Ghanaians to return home as part of the evacuation exercise.
According to him, the individuals had been imprisoned for breaching visa and residence permit regulations in South Africa.
“Let me welcome the 26 Ghanaians, whom we negotiated with; they were in prison, they had been detained for visa violations. We negotiated with the South African government that since we are evacuating our nationals, we don’t want anybody behind prison and the South African government agreed with us,” he said.
The Foreign Affairs Minister also thanked South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and the country’s Foreign Minister for supporting Ghana’s request.
“So I want to thank President Cyril Ramaphosa and my counterpart, the Foreign Minister of South Africa, for accepting our plea,” he added.
Mr. Ablakwa said the operation has ensured that no Ghanaian remains in prison in South Africa.
“So now, there is no Ghanaian in any South African prison; we have brought all of them back home,” he stated.
He explained that the evacuation forms part of government efforts to protect Ghanaians affected by the recent wave of xenophobic violence in South Africa.
Government had earlier announced plans to assist Ghanaians who wished to return home amid growing security concerns.
The Minister added that support measures would be put in place to help returnees reintegrate smoothly into society upon their arrival in Ghana.