South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, says nearly 74% of Ghanaians who recently returned home had overstayed their visas and breached the country’s immigration laws.
According to him, South African authorities followed legal procedures before declaring the affected individuals undesirable.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on June 10, Mr Lamola said immigration records showed that most of the returned Ghanaians had exceeded their permitted stay.
“As I’ve said earlier on, with the bulk of all Ghanaians that have come back home, almost 74% had overstayed, and they had been declared undesirable through our processes, and this is the law, and this has been communicated to the High Commissioner,” he said.
He explained that South Africa enforced its immigration laws while ensuring that due process was followed.
Despite the immigration violations, Mr Lamola stressed that South Africa remains committed to protecting all people living within its borders, including Ghanaian nationals.
“We are indeed protecting all people within the borders of South Africa. Constitutionally, we are duty-bound to protect everyone, including Ghanaian nationals,” he stated.
He noted that many Ghanaians contribute significantly to South Africa’s economy and society.
“There is a huge number of them in the various sectors of our economy. The South African government is duty-bound to ensure that they feel safe and they play their role as they are supposed to be in the country,” he added.
Mr Lamola emphasised that constitutional rights and protections apply to everyone living in South Africa, regardless of their immigration status.
“The Constitution does not differentiate. The government has got the responsibility to make sure that everyone is safe,” he said.
He added that the government would continue to uphold these protections while addressing immigration-related concerns.
The minister also condemned attacks on foreign nationals and reaffirmed the government’s responsibility to protect all residents.
“It is for that reason why we are condemning the violence against foreign nationals, because it is our duty as the government of South Africa to protect everyone within our borders,” he explained.
At the same time, he said authorities would continue to tackle irregular migration through the strict enforcement of immigration laws.
“We also have a duty to deal with irregular migration by enforcing the immigration policy,” Mr Lamola said.
