By James Amoh Jnr, GNA
Accra, Aug. 15, GNA – A Ghanaian evacuee from South Africa has died shortly after arriving at the Accra International Airport during an ongoing Government repatriation exercise.
The deceased was among 50 Ghanaians who arrived at 1750 hours on Friday aboard an Air Tanzania flight from South Africa.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the deceased was pronounced dead at 1855 hours at the airport’s Emergency Medical Reception.
It said other passengers reported that the deceased’s health condition began to deteriorate about 30 minutes before the aircraft landed in Accra.
A medical emergency team on standby at the airport attended to the passenger immediately after arrival, but efforts to save the person’s life were unsuccessful.
Doctors subsequently confirmed the death at 1855 hours, the Ministry said.
The Ministry said it was undertaking the necessary formalities to inform the deceased’s family and had arranged for the remains to be deposited at the Police Hospital for autopsy.
It said it would provide further information after formally engaging the bereaved family.
The death occurred as Ghana continued the evacuation of nationals from South Africa following a resurgence of xenophobic attacks against African nationals, including Ghanaians.
The attacks intensified from April 2026, particularly in parts of South Africa, including the Durban Central Business District in KwaZulu-Natal Province.
The Ministry said the violence was associated with activities of civic groups known as “March and March” and “Operation Dudula”, whose campaigns had developed into actions targeting African nationals.
It said members of the groups had stopped people in public places, questioned them about their nationality and immigration status and, in some cases, conducted what were described as “citizen’s arrests” of suspected undocumented migrants.
The Ministry said the confrontations had created fear and uncertainty among migrant communities, prompting the Government to evacuate Ghanaians who felt unsafe and wished to return home.
The first phase resulted in the evacuation of 926 Ghanaians who voluntarily opted to leave South Africa. They were evacuated from Johannesburg in three batches by chartered flights on May 27, June 6 and June 7, 2026.
The exercise was coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria, with support from relevant government institutions and international partners.
A second phase began on July 26, 2026, targeting another 1,000 Ghanaians, with commercial flights being used to facilitate their return.
At a Foreign Affairs Minister’s briefing on July 27, 132 Ghanaians had been repatriated under the second phase, while another 84 were expected to return shortly afterwards.
Since May 2026, more than 1,600 Ghanaians have been evacuated to Ghana from South Africa, with the exercise continuing.
The Government has also introduced measures to support the returnees, including emergency assistance for transport, food and medication.
The Ministry said psychologists and trauma counsellors had been deployed to provide psychosocial support, while returnees had received a GH₵5,000 reintegration grant and a GH₵500 travel and transport allowance.
They had also been provided with relief items from the National Disaster Management Organisation and free registration onto the National Health Insurance Scheme.
The Government had established a multi-agency Presidential Task Force on Reintegration to link returnees to employment, entrepreneurship and skills development opportunities.
The Ministry said about 200 employment opportunities had been secured through partnerships with private sector organisations, including a commitment by Engineers and Planners Limited to provide 100 positions.
The evacuation followed concerns over the safety of foreign nationals after anti-immigration groups called for foreign nationals to leave South Africa by June 30, 2026.
The violence had also resulted in the deaths of Ghanaian nationals, including 44-year-old Bashiru Issaka, a father of three, who was killed on June 30 in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, during an attack by anti-immigrant demonstrators.
Another Ghanaian, Mr Antwi Kwadwo, was murdered in Prieska in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province in the early hours of July 18, 2026.
Ghana’s High Commission in South Africa continues to engage the relevant authorities to establish the circumstances surrounding his death and determine whether it was connected to attacks against foreign nationals.
The Government has also pursued diplomatic measures with the South African authorities and raised the issue of xenophobic violence at the continental level.
On May 6, Ghana petitioned the Chairperson of the African Union Commission to place xenophobic attacks against African nationals in South Africa on the AU agenda as an urgent continental concern.
The Government said the recurring violence, loss of lives, destruction of businesses and displacement of African migrants threatened African unity, free movement and continental integration.
The Ministry said it would continue working with the South African authorities and international partners to ensure the safe and dignified evacuation of Ghanaian nationals.
It said further information on the death of the evacuee would be provided after it had formally engaged the bereaved family.
GNA
Reporter: James Amoh Jnr
Email: [email protected]
Edited by: Kenneth Sackey