Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe repatriate citizens as South Africa xenophobia crisis deepens
More than 150 Malawian nationals are set to arrive home by road on Monday after being repatriated from South Africa, as a growing xenophobia crisis forces several African governments to evacuate their citizens from the country.
The Malawian government confirmed the repatriation in a statement from Lilongwe, saying the group were among a number of foreign nationals who had sought refuge in temporary camps in Mossel Bay, a coastal town in South Africa's Western Cape Province. The move follows a wave of violence in the region, including door-to-door intimidation of foreign nationals and the deaths of two Mozambicans in Mossel Bay just over a week ago.
Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have all launched evacuation efforts of their own, with governments citing serious concerns about the safety of their citizens on South African soil.
Ramaphosa Moves to Cool Tensions
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Sunday, announcing a package of new measures to crack down on illegal migration — including speeding up the deportation of undocumented migrants. However, he also issued a firm warning to South Africans against vigilante action, saying there was "no space for xenophobia, racism, sexism, Afrophobia or any other forms of intolerance" in the country.
Anti-migrant groups have been pressuring undocumented foreigners to leave, setting 30 June as a self-imposed deadline — a development that has alarmed governments across the continent and triggered the wave of organised evacuations now underway.
Zimbabwe and Ghana Move Fast
A group of 74 Zimbabweans arrived home on Sunday after being transported from Mossel Bay in buses organised by the Zimbabwean government. Among them were families with young children who said they had fled the Western Cape fearing for their lives.
Ghana moved even earlier. At the end of last month, Accra organised a repatriation flight from Johannesburg for nearly 300 Ghanaian nationals. A further group of approximately 680 Ghanaians arrived in Accra at the weekend, bringing the total number of returnees into the hundreds.
Diplomatic Fallout Between Ghana and South Africa
The crisis has sparked a sharp diplomatic exchange between Accra and Pretoria. On Saturday, South Africa's foreign minister Ronald Lamola publicly accused his Ghanaian counterpart of spreading misinformation about the situation, describing comments made by Ghana's foreign minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in an interview with Joy News as "deeply disappointing".
Ablakwa had told the Accra-based station that he was proud of the solidarity Ghanaians had shown toward their fellow nationals, raised concerns about reports of foreigners being killed in attacks, and called on the African Union to investigate the situation. He also said Ghana had formally requested that South Africa compensate repatriated Ghanaians for property left behind.
Lamola pushed back on several of Ablakwa's claims. He disputed reports that two Nigerians and five Mozambicans had died in separate acts of violence and said his government had "no information of that nature whatsoever" regarding Ghanaians receiving hospital treatment following attacks.
Nigeria Postpones Evacuation Flight
Nigeria, which has over 500 citizens already screened and cleared for return, postponed its first planned evacuation flight — initially scheduled for Monday — to Wednesday. Foreign affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa cited "unforeseen logistical considerations" for the delay.
President Bola Tinubu has approved a total of five evacuation flights, with screening and registration of affected Nigerians extended to Wednesday as authorities continue processing applicants. The first flight was due to carry 270 citizens home.
South Africa Looks to Receiving Countries to Cover Deportation Costs
As part of the wider government response, South Africa's Deputy Home Affairs Minister Njabulo Nzuza revealed on Radio 702 that Pretoria is now exploring asking receiving countries to contribute to the cost of deporting undocumented migrants — a move that is likely to add further strain to already tense diplomatic relations across the region.
The crisis shows no sign of easing. With a self-imposed migrant deadline looming, evacuation flights still in progress, and a diplomatic spat between two of West Africa's biggest economies now in the open, the pressure on South Africa to demonstrate that it can protect foreign nationals on its soil is intensifying by the day.
Edem Kwame
Edem Kwame is a journalist at GH News Media covering news and national developments in Ghana.
