By Anita Dangazele
- Of the 300 Ghanaians processed at OR Tambo on Wednesday, only 10 were legal. The rest were undocumented, non-compliant or had overstayed their visas.
- Those who overstayed face a ban from South Africa under the Immigration Act. A second repatriation flight is planned for Sunday, with a new list due by Saturday.
Only 10 of the 300 Ghanaian nationals processed for Wednesday’s repatriation flight were in South Africa legally. The other 290 were undocumented, non-compliant or had overstayed their visas. Under South Africa’s Immigration Act, anyone who overstays faces a ban from returning to the country.
Speaking to SABC News, Stephen van Neel, head of immigration and law enforcement at the Department of Home Affairs, confirmed the figures at OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday morning.
“Of the 300 individuals that were on that list, we only found 10 of them being legal in the country,” van Neel said.
“The rest of them are all illegal, without documents, or actually not complying or have overstayed. There are some sanctions that need to be taken and the Department of Home Affairs will indeed make sure that those are implemented.”
The flight was delayed from its scheduled 4am departure as officials worked through the night verifying documents and cross-checking names against Home Affairs systems. Some Ghanaians were turned away because their papers were not in order. They will be given the opportunity to travel on a second repatriation flight on Sunday.
Van Neel said the department hoped to have the next list verified by Saturday to avoid a repeat of Wednesday’s delays.
Thirty of those on Wednesday’s flight had been held at the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp before departure. Ghana’s High Commission confirmed that fewer than 300 citizens ultimately boarded the flight to Accra.
The repatriation comes as protests against undocumented migrants continue across South Africa. The anti-illegal-migration group March and March has called a national shutdown for 30 June 2026, demanding stricter visa rules, a review of asylum policies and restrictions on public services for undocumented foreign nationals.
Pictured above: Ghanaian nationals being processed at OR Tambo International Airport in the early hours of Wednesday morning ahead of the repatriation flight to Accra.
Image source: Supplied
