Johannesburg: It was a busy and emotional night for some Ghanaians in South Africa as several buses arrived to transport the first group of 300 citizens set to leave the country on chartered flights under the voluntary repatriation exercise.
According to Ghana Web, several videos showed many Ghanaians arriving at the O.R. Tambo International Airport on the night of May 26, 2026, in anticipation of their return to Ghana. The repatriation exercise follows growing xenophobic attacks against African nationals by some locals in South Africa.
One of the videos captured the evacuees expressing excitement and relief as they queued to board buses ahead of their departure. A woman providing commentary in one of the videos explained that the buses were transporting the evacuees to a hotel arranged by the Ghana High Commission in South Africa, where they would spend the night before departing the next morning.
She also praised the government for the intervention and for facilitating their evacuation from the country.