The Border Management Authority (BMA) says about 90% of the 295 Ghanaians processed for voluntary repatriation from South Africa were undocumented, while five travellers were denied boarding due to immigration and documentation issues.
According to the BMA, some of the travellers had invalid asylum documents, others had expired travel papers, while one woman attempted to travel with her sister’s children without the required documentation.
The first group departed from OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday after accepting the Ghanaian government’s voluntary repatriation offer.
The repatriation programme comes amid growing anti-illegal immigration protests across parts of South Africa.
In response to rising tensions and concerns over the safety and wellbeing of its citizens, the Ghanaian government launched the first phase of a voluntary repatriation programme for nationals wishing to return home.
Many of those leaving said they had travelled to South Africa in search of better opportunities.
However, conditions had become increasingly difficult and, in some cases, frightening, prompting fears for their safety.
Scores of passengers, including elderly people and young children, gathered at the airport as tensions over illegal immigration continued to escalate.
BMA spokesperson Mmemme Mogotsi, confirmed that the authority successfully processed 295 Ghanaian nationals at OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday morning.
She said 25 of the travellers came from the Lindela Repatriation Centre and were transported by the Department of Home Affairs’ Immigration Inspectorate, while the remaining 275 were assisted by the Ghanaian High Commission.
“Following an intense check-in process, the travellers proceeded to BMA immigration, where about 90% were found to be undocumented and the Ghanaian Embassy had to issue them with Emergency Travel Certificates,” Mogotsi said.
She explained that the certificate is a one-way travel document allowing a person to return to their country of origin.
Mogotsi added that most of the travellers had overstayed their visas by more than 30 days, while some had overstayed by a year or longer.
“As a result, they were declared undesirable in terms of Section 30 of the Immigration Act, read with Regulation 27(3)(c) of the Immigration Regulations,” she said.
At the conclusion of the process, 295 passengers were cleared to travel and boarded a chartered flight arranged by the Ghanaian government through its High Commission in Pretoria.
However, five travellers were denied departure.
According to the BMA:
-One passenger held a valid asylum seeker permit and could not leave the country without formally cancelling his application for protection in South Africa.
-Another passenger was found with an expired passport and had not been issued with an Emergency Travel Certificate by the embassy.
-One woman attempted to leave the country with two minor children believed to belong to her sister but did not have proof of relationship or the required consent documentation.
Meanwhile, BMA commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato said the decisions were consistent with the authority’s mandate to facilitate the lawful movement of people and goods.
“The travellers who were denied departure due to the above reasons were handed back to the Ghanaian High Commission for possible future repatriation should they meet the relevant immigration requirements,” Masiapato said.
He added that the repatriation was facilitated by the Ghanaian government through its High Commission in Pretoria using a chartered aircraft.
“This decisive action underscores the BMA’s uncompromising implementation of the South African legislative framework in facilitating and managing the movement of people and goods in and out of the country,” he said.
The repatriation comes as tensions over illegal immigration continue to rise in South Africa, with nationwide demonstrations expected on June 30, 2026.
The activist group March and March, which has led protests against undocumented foreign nationals across the country, has threatened a national shutdown on 30 June if the government fails to respond to its demands.
The group is calling for stricter visa regulations, a review of asylum policies, action against businesses employing undocumented migrants, accountability for corrupt police officers, and restrictions on public services for undocumented migrants.
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