Desperate pleas have emerged from Ghanaian nationals stranded in South Africa who are imploring government to extend the voluntary evacuation exercise following termination of the programme after the arrival of the final batch of returnees. The stranded citizens lament loss of employment, businesses and shelter amid resurgent xenophobic hostilities that have rendered their existence precarious.
The government concluded the exercise upon the arrival of the final cohort in Ghana, bringing the total number of evacuees to one thousand nine hundred and sixty four. However, several compatriots who remain in distress contend they missed screening procedures due to anxieties over accommodation challenges at evacuation centres.
Margaret Amenuvegbe, a stranded Ghanaian speaking on Eyewitness News, disclosed that she and her group had initially registered but absconded from screening after reports suggested severe overcrowding and inadequate sleeping arrangements for prospective returnees. She is quoted as stating that evacuees had been compelled to seek refuge on church floors, a situation that discouraged many from proceeding despite their eagerness to return home.
Amenuvegbe revealed that her immediate group comprises four adults and four children currently sheltered in a church, sleeping on bare floors as weather conditions deteriorate. She further recounted that she had resided in South Africa for fourteen years working as a hairdresser before immigration documentation hurdles curtailed her livelihood, leaving her without sustainable income or stable accommodation.
The evacuation programme, initiated in May in response to xenophobic attacks targeting migrants, was coordinated by the Foreign Affairs Ministry to facilitate safe repatriation of vulnerable Ghanaians. With stranded nationals now appealing on bended knees for reconsideration, pressure mounts on authorities to reopen the corridor and provide emergency consular assistance to those still trapped in dire circumstances.
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Author: Korkor Anumu
