Government has evacuated more than 200 Ghanaians from South Africa in the first batch of the second phase of evacuation exercises for citizens fleeing xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The second phase is expected to see the evacuation of an estimated 1,000 Ghanaians from South Africa, bringing the total number of Ghanaians evacuated under the two-phase exercise to about 2,000.
The latest batch of returnees arrived in Accra last Sunday and yesterday.
The latest evacuees were screened by South African authorities to ensure none of them was on a wanted list.
The larger group that arrived yesterday were received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who assured the returnees of full government support for their reintegration into the Ghanaian system.
The evacuation followed renewed attacks on African migrants in several provinces of South Africa in recent weeks.
Demand for justice
Speaking at the reception for the returnees, the minister said the government would continue to pursue justice for two Ghanaians, Bashiru Isak and Kojo Antwi, who were killed in the attacks.
“We are still demanding justice, and we have written to the South African authorities about the two Ghanaians who have been killed.
Their killing must not be covered up.
There has to be justice, and we will continue to demand thorough investigations, arrests and prosecution of those who killed our beloved two compatriots,” he said.
He indicated that the body of Isak had been received, while efforts were ongoing to repatriate the body of Antwi.
Reintegration support
Mr Ablakwa said President John Dramani Mahama had directed that no Ghanaian be abandoned, stating further that the returnees would receive the same package given to their compatriots who arrived earlier in the first batch, including travel and reintegration allowances.
Some of the evacuated Ghanaians seated during the ceremony
He affirmed that the government was also compiling a database to facilitate job placement and support entrepreneurship among the returnees.
For those with skills who need startup capital, he gave an assurance that the government would guarantee proper reintegration “so that you do not have to continue to worry after all the trauma that you have gone through”.
Compensation, diplomatic engagement
The minister said the government had constituted a legal team and filed a petition at the African Union (AU) to seek compensation for Ghanaians who lost property and businesses in the attacks.
Citing a recent meeting between President Mahama and a special delegation from President Cyril Ramaphosa, Mr Ablakwa said South Africa itself confirmed that Ghanaians were law-abiding and among the least represented in crime statistics in that country.
"That is not the kind of Africa we deserve. These xenophobic attacks cast a very bad image of our continent.
We must, as citizens of Africa, demonstrate in all that we do the values that define us," he said.
He added that the government would continue to monitor the situation and conduct further evacuations when necessary to ensure the safety and welfare of Ghanaians abroad.
He singled out the Church of Pentecost in Pretoria and Johannesburg for offering shelter to fleeing Ghanaians.
“The Church of Pentecost has demonstrated what Christ taught us.
They suspended church services and offered their premises to fleeing Ghanaians as shelter awaiting the government evacuation,” he stated.
