Ghana has announced a temporary suspension of the repatriation registration exercise in South Africa, effective today, Tuesday, June 2, the High Commission of the Republic of Ghana to South Africa has confirmed.

The Commissioner communicated this in a formal notice yesterday, Monday June 1 citing that the move has become necessary to allow his outfit complete the screening of the growing number of people who have currently registered for the evacuation back home.

As at the time the Commission issued the notice, it indicated that over 1,500 Ghanaians had registered with his outfit waiting to be airlifted.

“The High Commission of the Republic of Ghana to South Africa wishes to inform all Ghanaians residing in South Africa that registration for the ongoing voluntary repatriation exercise will be temporarily suspended with effect from 2nd June, 2026.

The temporary suspension is to enable the High Commission and the Home Affairs authorities to process and screen the large number of applications already received. To date, over 1,500 Ghanaians have registered, and the verification and processing of these applications are currently underway”, parts of the statement read.

It assured affected parties to exercise patience, noting that the exercise hasn’t ended.

“The date for the next phase of registration will be communicated in due course. The High Commission further wishes to assure all interested Ghanaians who have not yet registered that the repatriation exercise has not ended. The High Commission appreciates the cooperation, patience, and understanding of the Ghanaian community in ensuring a well-coordinated exercise”, it continued.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced that following the successful repatriation of the first 301 Ghanaians from South Africa, an additional 600 more have registered at Ghana’s High Commission in the host country to be brought back home.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, May 31, the Minister said that “600 more Ghanaians have registered at our High Commission to be evacuated from South Africa.”

Consequently, the government will not hesitate to respond to the desires of the distressed Ghanaians in South Africa amid the heightened xenophobic violent attacks on foreigners, including those from Ghana.

“When the safety and dignity of Ghanaians are at stake, the Government of Ghana does not compromise or dither”, he said.

Mr Ablakwa also expressed admiration for the resilience of affected Ghanaians, commending their calmness and determination in the face of the situation.

“I am immensely proud of the resilient spirit of Ghanaians,” he added.

Also, earlier, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa revealed that 410 Ghanaians fleeing xenophobic attacks in South Africa will be evacuated over the weekend.

The weekend group would be the second batch to be repatriated, while the date for the rest is yet to be communicated after the arrival of the first 300 evacuees on Wednesday, May 27.

Speaking during JoyFM's Super Morning Show on Thursday, May 28, the High Commissioner indicated that, "The next batch will be of 410 evacuees who have given us their names that they want to go home voluntarily. It is going to be the coming Sunday or Tuesday; we have not fixed the exact date yet, but it should be between these three days."

He disclosed that about 1,000 Ghanaians living in South Africa have registered to return home over fears of the attacks.

"As of this morning (Thursday, May 28), I have been briefed that we have almost a thousand who have fully registered and have indicated that they want to leave South Africa and go back home," he noted.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has urged the evacuees not to lose hope, assuring them that the government has plans in place to support their reintegration into society.

Addressing the returnees at the Accra International Airport on Wednesday, May 27, Mr Ablakwa encouraged them to remain optimistic despite their experiences abroad.

“We don't want any of you to feel brokenhearted, don't be downhearted, don't be depressed, have confidence that the almighty has better plans for you,” he told the evacuees upon their arrival.