South African government accused of funding xenophobic attacks as 331 more Ghanaians leave
The accusations come after the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa announced fresh crackdown on what he described to be operations against 'illegal immigrants!'
Black News 
Another group of 331 Ghanaian nationals had been taken to the Oliver Tambo International Airport ready to be flown back home from South Africa.
The development comes amid claims that the South African Government was funding Xenophobic attacks targeting foreigners from other parts of the continent.
The accusations come after the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa announced fresh crackdown on what he described to be operations against ‘illegal immigrants!’
The Ghanaians, escorted by their country’s High Commission in Pretoria underwent check-in procedures, before eventually proceeding to Border Management Authority (BMA) Immigration for the final processing.
Among those processed, 117 travelers were using Ghanaian ordinary passports, while 90 were travelling on Emergency Travel Certificates issued by the Ghanaian High Commission in Pretoria.
In addition, 37 minor children born in South Africa were also processed using Emergency Travel Certificates.
Border Management Authority Immigration officials further processed 25 asylum seekers who voluntarily submitted withdrawal letters to cancel their asylum applications.
During the verification process, 170 travelers were found to have overstayed their allocated period of stay in South Africa by 30 days or longer and were consequently declared undesirable in terms of Section 30 of the Immigration Act, read together with Regulation 27(3)(c) of the Immigration Regulations.
At the end of the process, 341 passengers, including 10 deportees brought by the Department of Home Affairs from Lindela Holding Facility, were cleared for departure.
One traveler did not check in, but the remaining 340 boarded a chartered flight arranged by the Government of Ghana through its High Commission in Pretoria.
The repatriation of these Ghanaian nationals demonstrates effective cooperation between the Government of Ghana, through its High Commission in Pretoria, and South African authorities responsible for migration management and border security.
BMA Commissioner Dr Nalampe Michael Masiapato commended the Port Management Committee and all officials involved in facilitating the operation.
He further encouraged foreign missions to continue working closely with relevant government departments and entities to ensure the smooth and lawful facilitation of repatriation movements.
“The successful processing of these repatriation movements reflects the importance of coordinated efforts between foreign missions and South African authorities. Such cooperation contributes to effective migration management while ensuring compliance with the country’s immigration laws,” said Commissioner Masiapato.
