By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
A widening diplomatic and humanitarian crisis is unfolding across sub-Saharan Africa as multiple nations scramble to evacuate hundreds of their citizens from South Africa. The mass repatriations follow a surge in anti-migrant intimidation and localized violence in the Western Cape Province.
A group of 150 Malawians traveling by road is scheduled to arrive in their home country on Monday. The repatriation follows intense violence in Mossel Bay where at least two Mozambican nationals were killed. Malawian authorities confirmed that their citizens were “among a number of foreign nationals” who had “sought refuge in temporary camps” to escape door-to-door intimidation. This rapid exit underscores a lingering threat of violence that now alters regional migration patterns.
Regional Exodus Gathers Momentum
The panic is not isolated to Malawi. Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Nigeria have initiated emergency transport operations to pull their citizens out of the country. Fears have intensified following a highly controversial speech by a traditional king, which foreign residents state sparked renewed anxiety across local communities.
A convoy carrying 74 Zimbabwean nationals arrived home on Sunday after fleeing Mossel Bay. Several families traveling with young children stated they abandoned their homes in the Western Cape out of fear for their safety. Many felt they had no choice but to leave as organized, uniformed groups began actively targeting foreign-born residents in their neighborhoods.
Ghana has executed the largest evacuation effort so far. Late last month, Accra organized an initial flight from Johannesburg for nearly 300 citizens. That operation expanded significantly over the weekend when an additional group of about 680 Ghanaians landed safely in the Ghanaian capital.
Diplomatic Friction Rises Over Casualties
The mass departures have ignited a sharp diplomatic dispute between South Africa and its regional peers. South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola publicly accused Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa of spreading misinformation regarding the scale of the violence.
The dispute intensified after Ablakwa granted an interview to Joy News in Accra, stating he was proud of the solidarity that Ghanaians had shown in supporting their fellow nationals. In the broadcast, Ablakwa highlighted reports of foreigners being killed after being attacked in South Africa and reiterated a call for the African Union (AU) to investigate what was happening.
Ablakwa further noted that a number of Ghanaians were being treated in hospitals in South Africa after being attacked. The development comes amid parallel reports that a domestic anti-migrant movement has begun blocking foreign nationals from accessing healthcare facilities altogether, declaring a need to prioritize South African citizens. Ablakwa also stated that his government had asked South Africa to compensate the Ghanaians who had been repatriated for the property that they had left behind.
Lamola aggressively pushed back against the claims in a post on X, describing the interview as “deeply disappointing”. The South African Foreign Minister explicitly disputed that two Nigerians and five Mozambicans had died in separate acts of violence. Addressing the claims of hospitalized Ghanaian citizens, Lamola stated his government had “no information of that nature whatsoever”.
Pretoria Condemns Repatriation ‘Spectacles’
The diplomatic spat has grown beyond private cables into public rebukes over how the evacuations are being portrayed. South Africa on Saturday warned Ghana it would “not tolerate public spectacles” in the evacuations of Ghanaian citizens from the country over anti-immigrant tensions. Minister Lamola expressed shock and disappointment over claims that nearly 30 percent of the repatriated Ghanaians were legal residents. He heavily criticized his Ghanaian counterpart for using interviews and social media to push narratives of continuous historic targeting.
Pretoria Clamps Down on Border Controls
The visual of empty planes and buses leaving South Africa coincides with a June 30 deadline set by domestic anti-migrant groups demanding all undocumented foreigners vacate the country.
In a televised national address on Sunday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attempted to de-escalate the volatile situation while simultaneously placating domestic critics. Ramaphosa announced a raft of new measures to crackdown on illegal migration and vowed that the deportation of undocumented migrants would be sped up.
However, the president balanced the policy shift with a stern warning against vigilantism. He cautioned South Africans not to take the law into their own hands, emphasizing that there was “no space for xenophobia, racism, sexism, Afrophobia or any other forms of intolerance” in the country.
Shifting the Financial Burden of Deportation
The economic fallout of the migration crisis is also shifting. Pretoria is currently exploring controversial fiscal measures to fund its accelerated expulsion policy.
Deputy Home Affairs Minister Njabulo Nzuza told Radio 702 that in order to help pay for the removals South Africa is now looking into asking the various receiving countries for money to cover the cost.
Logistical Delays Slow Nigerian Airlift
Nigeria is also executing a multi-stage evacuation plan, though its timeline slipped on Monday. Abuja was forced to postpone its first planned evacuation flight for 270 citizens.
Nigeria’s foreign affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa announced that the evacuation “has been rescheduled for Wednesday… due to unforeseen logistical considerations”.
Despite the delay, Nigerian officials confirmed that more than 500 Nigerians have so far been screened and cleared for return as part of a wider government response to the anti-migrant tensions in South Africa. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has officially approved five evacuation flights in total. Registration and screening operations have been extended to Wednesday as embassy staff continue processing a growing backlog of applicants.
The Cost of Fractured Pan-African Solidarity
For audiences across Ghana and the broader African continent, the emergency airlifts strike a painful blow to the historical ideals of continental unity. Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explicitly invoked this heritage during diplomatic sessions in Accra. Officials emphasized that the unprovoked harassment and attacks on law-abiding individuals run completely contrary to the historical principles of Pan-African solidarity.
