Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has disclosed that 26 Ghanaian prisoners who were detained for visa violations have also been repatriated, they were among the first batch of 300 evacuees repatriated from South Africa on Wednesday, May 27, following recent xenophobic attacks in the country.
Speaking after the evacuees arrived at the Kotoka International Airport, Mr. Ablakwa said the government successfully negotiated with South African authorities to allow the detained Ghanaians to return home together with the other evacuees.
According to him, the individuals had been imprisoned for violating stay permit and visa regulations in South Africa.
“Let me welcome the 26 Ghanaians, whom we negotiated with; they were in prison, they had been detained for visa violations. We negotiated with the South African government that since we are evacuating our nationals, we don’t want anybody behind prison and the South African government agreed with us,” he stated.
The Minister expressed appreciation to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and the country’s Foreign Minister for cooperating with Ghana’s request.
“So I want to thank President Cyril Ramaphosa and my counterpart, the Foreign Minister of South Africa, for accepting our plea,” he added.
Mr. Ablakwa further disclosed that the repatriation exercise has ensured that no Ghanaian remains incarcerated in South African prisons.
“So now, there is no Ghanaian in any South African prison; we have brought all of them back home,” he said.
According to the Minister, the evacuation exercise forms part of government efforts to protect Ghanaians affected by the recent wave of xenophobic violence in South Africa.
He added that the returnees would receive the necessary support to help them reintegrate smoothly into Ghanaian society.
