PRETORIA – The first group of Ghanaian nationals is expected to depart on Wednesday.
About 800 citizens have so far indicated their willingness to be repatriated to their home country.
The development comes amid an ongoing national debate around the presence and documentation of foreign nationals in South Africa.
One of the 800 is a man who only identified himself as Fredrick and said he had come to South Africa seeking a better life.
“There is no place like home. We came to this country with the intention of greener pastures. But then, we realised that there is nothing much here for us. Coupled with rampant and constant xenophobic attacks and other things that come along with staying here, I felt it is better for me to go home.”
Fredrick said he had not personally experienced any danger, but described life in Johannesburg as a “risk”.
“Even if you are not in danger from xenophobic attacks or riots, there are a lot of things. People can come into your house, point a gun at you and rob you. Even in the streets, you are not safe.
“I do not think it’s xenophobia; I think the system has failed. They are angry because the system has failed.”
Asked if he’d ever return to South Africa, Fredrick said no.
“Never. I can never come back to South Africa,” he added.
Ghana’s High Commissioner is calling for a more balanced and nuanced approach to the migrant crisis in the country.
Benjamin Quashie argued that while undocumented migration is a challenge, many foreign nationals have legally lived and worked in the country for years.
More often than not, he said, they face delays and backlogs when renewing their permits at Home Affairs.
“Well, the numbers are quite high for those who are here illegally, and the numbers also for those who are here illegally are quite high. It’s for us to determine the terms as to when we say illegal. What do you mean? It’s a term that we need to discuss and define.
“Because you have people from Ghana who have been in this country with work permits for four years, five years down the line. They go to renew it with Home Affairs. I know a lot of them.
“Out of the list, we have about 30 to 40 of them who we have found that they genuinely submitted their documentation for renewal, but the Department of Home Affairs is still working on the process. And when we ask, they tell us that it’s a cumbersome process that we have to agree on. These are people who have small businesses, the salon business, the mechanic businesses, and others.
“So it’s a close mix of people who are here, genuinely trying to make ends meet. And for your information, these are people who also work with South Africans. So we see that there should be a balance when it comes to these things.”
