Benjamin Quashie, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, has declared that on July 25, about 900 Ghanaians who voluntarily left South Africa due to recent xenophobic violence will start their final repatriation.
According to him, the exercise is the last stage of the government’s evacuation plan for impacted Ghanaians and comes after previous flights that have brought hundreds of individuals back to Ghana.
Speaking to members of the Ghanaian community in South Africa on Tuesday, July 14, he stated that the Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided support for the most recent operation in response to worries about the welfare and safety of Ghanaians affected by the attacks.
The remaining registered individuals are anticipated to come home during the final operation, he said, adding that some 926 Ghanaians had already been returned under the earlier stages of the program.
“We are going to do the final repatriation of close to 900 Ghanaians who have voluntarily given their names here in South Africa that they want to go,” he said.
He explained that the repatriation would be done in stages, with daily planned planes departing until every registered person had returned to Ghana.
He emphasised that no new registrations will be accepted and that only Ghanaians who have previously finished the registration and screening process will be eligible for the activity.
He said that the authorities were using verified lists that had been agreed upon with South African officials and urged anyone who had not yet registered not to report to the High Commission hoping to be included.
Mr. Quashie further urged recipients to follow the High Commission’s instructions and refrain from travelling from different provinces until they had received formal notification of their departure dates.
The High Commissioner further stated that the mass evacuation exercise will formally end once the last group of roughly 900 persons have been evacuated, and any further requests for help returning home will be handled individually through Ghana’s consular services.
He thanked Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and President John Dramani Mahama for making the evacuation possible, characterising the action as a sign of the government’s dedication to the well-being of Ghanaians residing overseas.
Source: newsthemegh.com