Pretoria: Ghana's Ambassador to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, has revealed that the repatriation of Ghanaians residing in South Africa is facing delays due to the South African authorities' ongoing efforts to process a large number of Malawian migrants. This development comes as the June 30 deadline for the repatriation approaches.
According to Ghana Web, Ambassador Quashie conveyed in a video shared by CITI FM on X that the South African Department of Home Affairs is currently overwhelmed with the task of repatriating nearly 10,000 Malawian nationals. This has temporarily hindered the progress of Ghana's evacuation plans. The Ghanaian mission has been actively engaging with South African authorities, following directives from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to facilitate the repatriation process.
Ambassador Quashie stated, "On the directive of the minister, we have engaged the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa. As you may have heard, almost 10,000 of our compatriots from Malawi are currently being repatriated back home. The entire Home Affairs setup, which is supposed to assist us with clearing our people for travel, is focused on handling that large number."
He further explained that the planned evacuation for Ghanaians could not proceed last week as the officials responsible for processing travel clearances were fully occupied with the Malawian repatriation effort. "So, we couldn't have them last week to help us. We are hoping that by this week they will finish what they are doing and then turn their attention to us," he mentioned.
Ambassador Quashie also noted that although the minister had hoped for the evacuation to be completed before June 30, 2026, the South African authorities indicated that meeting that timeline would be challenging. "Yesterday evening, when I spoke with the Honourable Minister, he wished we could complete the evacuations before the 30th of June. But from the South African side, it will be very difficult. We also do not want to appear ungrateful because they have been assisting us throughout the screening process. They have assured us that once they complete the Malawian repatriation, they will attend to Ghana's request," he explained.
The evacuation is now anticipated to occur sometime next week, pending confirmation from South Africa's Department of Home Affairs. Ambassador Quashie added, "We are looking at next week; not necessarily Monday or Tuesday, but sometime during the week. Once we receive confirmation from the Department of Home Affairs here in South Africa, we will inform the Ghanaian community of the date for their repatriation."