About 1,500 Ghanaians have registered to leave South Africa amid rising hostility toward foreign nationals, prompting their High Commission on Monday to pause new applications.
The mission said it stopped fresh registrations so officials could process and screen the volume already received. Verification of those cases is underway.
The exodus follows weeks of anti immigration demonstrations. Organisers blame foreign nationals for high unemployment, rising crime and strain on public services, and have set 30 June as a deadline for undocumented migrants to leave, threatening a national shutdown otherwise.
Departures are already running. The first charter carried about 300 people from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg last Wednesday, with more flights expected within days.
South African authorities framed the operation in immigration terms. The Border Management Authority (BMA) said roughly 90 percent of the first returnees were undocumented, many having overstayed their permits, and were issued Emergency Travel Certificates to board.
Ghana’s envoy played down any rift with Pretoria.
“There is no diplomatic row,” High Commissioner Benjamin Quashie said, adding that the returns were coordinated with South African home affairs and security agencies.
Back home, Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a notice on Monday urging citizens to avoid non-essential travel to South Africa. Nigeria has signalled it may evacuate some of its nationals as well.
