Only One Ghanaian Appears for Evacuation at Johannesburg Airport Amid Xenophobic Tensions

Johannesburg: Only one Ghanaian reportedly showed up at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg for the government's planned evacuation exercise scheduled for the morning, despite earlier announcements that about 300 citizens were expected to return home from South Africa. The evacuation followed concerns over the safety of Ghanaians in South Africa amid renewed xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals. According to Ghana Web, the lone Ghanaian who arrived for the evacuation flight shared his experience in an interview with Newsroom Afrika. He mentioned that he turned up early at the airport, expecting a significant number of fellow nationals to join him on the flight scheduled to depart at 5:00 am. "I just came alone because I heard about the situation going on. They said the flight will take off 5 o'clock am so you must come. That's why I said no, I must come tomorrow so that I will get the flight faster in case maybe there is a lot of people," he said. The individual, who works as a barber i n South Africa, reached the airport between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm the previous day, enduring more than eight hours of waiting. "So, I came here yesterday between 7 to 8pm. I think I took more than 8 hours or 9 hours," he added. Despite his anticipation of a crowd, he was the only one present for the evacuation. He further revealed details about his immigration status, noting that his passport had expired. He currently relies on asylum documentation, which he renews every three months. "I was using my passport initially but now the date has expired so I'm just using the asylum. I was using the asylum and every three months I renew it," he explained. This development follows an earlier announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about plans to evacuate the first batch of 300 Ghanaians living in South Africa through a special chartered flight. The initiative is in response to increasing xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in South Africa and the growing concerns over the safety of Ghanaians residi ng there.