The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced that 26 Ghanaians detained in South Africa are among the 297 evacuated back home.
According to Ablakwa, the 26 Ghanaians were detained in South Africa over alleged visa violations.
Ablakwa disclosed that among the first batch of 297 Ghanaians who arrived at the Accra International Airport in Accra on Tuesday, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight, 26 of them were detained Ghanaians in South Africa.
Speaking to the evacuees during a reception ceremony at the airport, Mr Ablakwa said,
“We negotiated with the South African government that since we are evacuating our nationals, we don’t want to leave anybody behind in prison,” the Minister stated.
“So now, there is no Ghanaian in any South African prison for visa violations. We have brought all of them back home”.
“Today, the Mahama administration is demonstrating that wherever Ghanaians are, we will make sure you are protected, your dignity is respected, and we will go to the length of this world to bring you back home safely,” he said.
Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has disclosed that more evacuation flights from South Africa will take place next week.
In a statement on his X page, Ablakwa wrote, “Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah must be proud of us. More evacuation flights next week. For God and Country.”
His comments follow the 297 Ghanaians who were on board the initial flight and were met on arrival by senior government officials.
Meanwhile, the March and March Movement, a South African group leading the campaign for the removal of foreign nationals from the country, has expressed dissatisfaction with the government of Ghana.
According to the March and March Movement leader Jancita Ngobese-Zuma, the Ghanaian government is engaging in PR to make South Africa look bad.
She stressed that the Ghanaian government is overreacting to the issue and attempting to portray South Africa as xenophobic.
In a press conference, the group disclosed that they have great respect for Ghana as a country, but believe it is dishonest for the government to claim that Ghanaian citizens were assaulted when, in their view, they were only engaging with an individual who had allegedly breached the immigration laws of the country.
The March and March Movement labelled the Ghanaian government as disappointing and largely dishonest.
Speaking in a viral video shared on X, the March and March Movement stated, “The Ghanaian government really overreacted; it is disappointing. We have a lot of respect for Ghana as a country, and the people of Ghana, we still do. But for them to react in the way that they did is largely dishonest. Because for them to claim their people were beaten up when they know they were not beaten up, even the Minister of Police echoed that it is absolutely ridiculous.
What we saw in that video is Victoria Africa. talking to someone who has broken the laws of the country, and coming legally and staying illegally. Instead of addressing that in a correct manner, they decided to do a whole PR exercise to paint South Africa as xenophobic”.
Watch the video below:
All arrested Ghanaians in South Africa have been freed now! Free buses, free food, free flight and free accommodation provided. Okudzeto Ablakwa might go down in history as the best Foreign Affairs Minister in Africa! His diplomatic acumen is on steroids! pic.twitter.com/wg5ViWrg13
— BONGO IDEAS ™ (@BongoIdeasHQ) May 27, 2026
