The Government of Ghana has dismissed reports claiming that a lone Ghanaian national had already been evacuated from South Africa aboard a chartered flight, describing the reports as false and misleading amid ongoing evacuation preparations involving hundreds of Ghanaians.
The clarification was issued by Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in a statement shared on his official social media platforms following public discussions surrounding the delayed evacuation exercise.
The development forms part of Ghana’s continuing diplomatic response to recent xenophobic tensions and anti-immigrant sentiments in parts of South Africa, which prompted hundreds of Ghanaians to register with Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria seeking evacuation and protection.
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that more than 800 Ghanaians had registered with the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria for evacuation, forcing authorities to postpone the initial evacuation date to address legal, technical and logistical requirements, including passenger screening and flight clearance procedures.
Mr. Ablakwa assured Mr. Boakye that he would be included in the planned evacuation exercise expected to facilitate the return of about 800 Ghanaian nationals from South Africa.
“The young Ghanaian by name Sylvester Boakye can be assured that he would not be left out of the planned evacuations expected to cover some 800 people,” the Minister stated.
The Foreign Minister further explained that Mr. Boakye was not evacuated to Ghana because no chartered evacuation flight had yet departed, contrary to circulating reports on social media and some online platforms.
“Clearly, Mr. Sylvester Boakye was not airlifted to Ghana as there was no chartered flight sent by the Government of Ghana,” portions of the statement noted, adding that Ghana and South African authorities had agreed to defer the evacuation pending the resolution of legal, technical and logistical matters.
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