300 Ghanaians arrive home from South Africa
The first batch of 300 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa arrived at the Accra International Airport yesterday afternoon to emotional scenes, as families and government officials gathered to receive them.
The evacuees included 26 persons detained for visa violations in South Africa.
They touched down at about 3 p.m. in a chartered Ethiopian Airlines flight amid cheers and relief.
Many were seen waving the Ghana flag and singing patriotic songs, while others also shed tears of joy, as they stepped on home soil after weeks of uncertainty and fears, having been subjected to ridicule and harassment to return to their countries by Black South Africans, leading the charge of xenophobic attacks on Ghanaians and other African nationals.
The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, James Gyakye-Quayson, and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Dr Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon, led a government delegation to welcome the returnees.
They were joined by officials from the ministry, the Ghana Immigration Service and other security agencies, the Ghana Airport Company Ltd, as well as anxious family members who had waited hours at the arrival hall of Terminal Two.
The atmosphere was charged with excitement and gratitude at the arrival hall, where a short ceremony to welcome them took place.
They were provided with hot meals as a welcome refreshment, while each would also go home with one bag of food items.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting Ghanaians abroad. The government also promised to offer the evacuees immediate support.
Mr Ablakwa indicated that the evacuation demonstrated the government’s resolve to safeguard the dignity and safety of every Ghanaian, no matter where they were.
“Today, the Mahama Administration is demonstrating that wherever Ghanaians are, we will make sure you are protected, your dignity is respected, and we will go the length of this world to bring you back home safely,” he said.
The Foreign Affairs Minister added that the government would ensure they were not left to struggle alone.
Mr Ablakwa assured the returnees that they would receive transportation allowance to reach their hometowns and a special reintegration package to help them restart their lives.
“President Mahama says that all of you should be given two special allowances— a transportation allowance and a reintegration allowance— a special package to help you put your lives back on track,” he said.
He credited the successful operation to the collaboration between the Office of the Chief of Staff, NADMO, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the International Organisation for Migration, and the staff of the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Mr Ablakwa also disclosed that the government negotiated with the South African government for the release of the 26 Ghanaian detainees, who were arrested due to visa violations.
The Foreign Affairs Minister also thanked Ethiopian Airlines for its cooperation during the evacuation and commended the passengers for their conduct.
The Chief of Staff called on the evacuees to remain optimistic about the future, assuring them that the government would continue to stand by its citizens at home and abroad.
Mr Debrah affirmed that difficult moments often opened new opportunities.
“We want to encourage our brothers and sisters; they should be very optimistic about the future.
Because I believe sincerely that sometimes, God has different ways of opening new doors for us,” he said.
One of the returnees, Victor Togbe Atsu, expressed gratitude to the government for the intervention, describing the evacuation as timely and life-saving.
“I thank God, and I thank the government for bringing us home.
We have been rescued from the lion’s den. It was hell in a cell,” he said.
