Growing fears among Ghanaians living in South Africa are gradually informing their decision to return home following the renewed violent xenophobic tensions launched against foreigners.

This was confirmed by Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Anani Quashie, who indicated that many have lost their businesses and livelihoods.

Speaking on PM Express on Monday, May 11, Mr Quashie said Ghana’s mission in South Africa has already received requests from more than 200 Ghanaians seeking voluntary repatriation.

“We have already received requests from more than 200 Ghanaians who want to voluntarily return home. Many of them have lost their businesses and livelihoods, and the fear of renewed xenophobic attacks is pushing them to seek repatriation,” Mr Quashie noted.

The development comes after Ghanaian national, Emmanuel Akowuah Asamoah, who appeared in a viral video linked to recent xenophobic attacks, returned to Ghana and was offered a job by businessman and millionaire, Ibrahim Mahama.

“Fortunately, Mr Ibrahim Mahama has decided to offer him employment, which he has gladly accepted.”

He added that the gesture by Mr Mahama was to encourage young Ghanaians living abroad in hardship.

“Mr Ibrahim indicated to him that he wants him to be an ambassador so that other Ghanaians in other countries can look up to him and say, when they sacked him from one country, he got back to Ghana, and he was helped and was able to make a difference in his life.”

Consequently, preparations are underway for a massive repatriation exercise by the government, where travel costs and documentation for those without passports will be absorbed by the government, as it intends to ensure the safety of all Ghanaians back home.

“So we’ve been asked by the Minister to gather the names of the Ghanaians. After this evening, we have close to about 200-and-something people who want to come back home.

The ministry is going to take up the cost so that we ensure that we bring them back home. We don’t want to leave any Ghanaian at the mercy of any other national. Ghanaians are valued in Ghana,” he stressed.

Given the tensions in South Africa, Mr Quashie warned that the number of people seeking repatriation could rise sharply.

“It will definitely go up more than what we have seen.”

According to him, approximately 20,000 Ghanaians currently live in South Africa, working across different sectors including mining, healthcare, and academia, with many doing very well for themselves.

However, the recent attacks have instilled fear, particularly in those who own and run businesses.

They fear their many years of hard work could become a waste overnight due to the attacks.

“Some of them are doing very well… some are working in the mines. Some are working in hospitals. Some are lecturers here and there. So these are people who believe that, over the years, they struggled, put up a business, xenophobic attacks happen, and they lose everything,” he continued.

He said many now prefer returning home to rebuild their lives.

“So they are saying that this time around, they want to come home and start life all over.”

The High Commissioner said discussions are ongoing with businesses in Ghana to help absorb returnees into jobs and ease their reintegration into society.

Meanwhile, on April 30, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, revealed that no Ghanaian has lost his or her life in the ongoing xenophobic attacks.

His remarks follow speculation that some Ghanaians may have been killed in ongoing attacks in parts of South Africa, after videos showing locals targeting foreigners went viral online around April 22-27.

During an interview with Joy News PM Express Show with Evans Mensah on Wednesday, April 30, Mr Quarshie cited that according to official data presented to his outfit by South African authorities, no Ghanaian has lost their life.

“So the current xenophobic actions that are going on, nobody has lost their lives. The statistics are there; they’ve given it to us,” he stated.

He went on to further address a video which went viral, capturing a Ghanaian man who had been reportedly killed in East London. According to him, investigations conducted by his outfit showed that the man was attacked and fatally stabbed by armed robbers, stressing that his death was unrelated to a xenophobic violent attack.

“In fact, there was a story going round about a Ghanaian who had lost his life in East London… We went there yesterday on the instructions of the Foreign Affairs Minister. We got to find out that the gentleman was stabbed to death by armed robbers, and it happened three weeks ago,” he said.

He disclosed that the case came to the authorities' attention only weeks later.

“They just left his body there, and we only got to know after three weeks that the citizen had been stabbed to death,” he added.

According to him, the Ghanian government has stepped in, calling for a thorough investigation into the fatal attack and halting an attempted mass burial until a full probe is completed.