A flight carrying about 300 Ghanaians repatriated from South Africa has landed in Ghana's capital Accra amid fears of a resurgence of xenophobic violence.
The Ghanaian government chartered a flight from Johannesburg following a wave of protests against illegal immigration in South Africa.
More departures are expected in the coming days – approximately 800 Ghanaians have registered for repatriation.
The country's foreign minister, Samuel Okudjato Ablakwa, joined other officials at the airport in Accra on Wednesday to welcome the first group of arrivals.
Ghana's High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, told the BBC that a total of 297 Ghanaians arrived on Wednesday.
He said a mother and her two children were not allowed to leave because they did not have the children's birth certificates.
But the border management authority said the two minors were “deemed to be (the woman's) sisters” and did not have documents to prove their relationship or consent to the “alleged sister”.
Some departing passengers wanted to speak to reporters in Johannesburg, but Rudolph, who has lived in South Africa for 10 years and runs a salon, told the BBC he was leaving because of the recent protests.
“It is no longer comfortable for us to stay here, so we have to leave. I think we will find peace at home,” he said.
There are an estimated 25,000 Ghanaians living in South Africa.
Protesters say illegal immigrants are putting a strain on public services and have called on the South African government to do more to stop it.
The demonstrations have been organized by a group called March and March, which describes itself as a citizen-led movement for immigration reform.
It has set June 30 as the deadline for illegal immigrants to leave the country.
Rudolph is concerned that the deadline could lead to violence.
“The protests started in Durban and have now spread to other provinces. So something bad could definitely happen,” he said. He said he would never return to South Africa.
Some link anti-immigrant marches to local elections later this year (EPA)
Quashi told the BBC that his government had a duty to ensure the safety of its citizens.
“The Government of Ghana listened to the plight of its citizens in South Africa, who felt that their lives were in danger, who felt that the economic activity in which they were engaged had stopped, who felt unwelcome in this country,” he said.
“Every government has a responsibility to ensure that its citizens are taken care of both at home and abroad.”
When asked what they are doing to ensure that illegal migrants from Ghana do not come to South Africa, he said they have a reintegration strategy for returnees.
“The government is keen to set them up in whatever business they were doing in South Africa. In a way, we are also helping the South African economy, because it is clear that some of them are undocumented,” the diplomat said.
“So getting them out here will let them know that we're not the ones who turn a blind eye to undocumented people in countries.”
South African officials said that an inspection of the documents found that most of the returnees had stayed for more than 30 days, while some had stayed for a year or more. However Kwashi denied this, saying that 80% of those returned to Ghana had legal status in South Africa.
Some analysts have suggested that the resurgence of anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa may be linked to local elections in November.
In 2019, at least 12 people were killed in attacks on foreigners across the country and 62 foreign nationals died in 2008.
But organizers of recent protests have said they have been peaceful.
Earlier this month, the South African government condemned criminal acts directed at foreigners, while acknowledging that the country needed to tackle illegal immigration.
In recent days, large numbers of foreigners have been camping outside the South African Department of Home Affairs in Durban, saying they fear for their lives.
The group of more than 300 immigrants first sought asylum at a local police station, but were taken to another location before ending up outside the office that deals with refugees and asylum seekers.
A Congolese national told local online publication IOL News that they were “seeking protection”.
“We are being told again and again that on June 30 we will be killed and no foreigners will be left in South Africa,” the woman said.
Additional reporting by Khanyisiile Ngcobo in Johannesburg
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(Getty Images/BBC)
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