Ghanaians in South Africa Face September 30 Ultimatum to Vacate Shops Amid Xenophobic Threats

• Protesting groups in South Africa have reportedly given Ghanaian shop and salon owners until September 30 to leave their premises
• More than 1,900 Ghanaian nationals have already been evacuated from South Africa amid renewed xenophobic tensions
• Some Ghanaians who relocated to another province seeking help say they are now stranded without food or shelter

Ghanaians living in South Africa say they are living in fear after reports emerged that some protesting groups have issued a deadline of September 30, demanding they vacate their shops and salons or face the consequences.

The threats surface as xenophobic tensions continue to flare across parts of South Africa. More than 1,900 Ghanaian nationals have already been evacuated from the country as a result of the unrest, though the Ghanaian government has since concluded its formal repatriation exercise.

One affected Ghanaian woman, who remains in the country, said certain residents had received written notices instructing them to clear out their business premises before the end of September.

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"They said on the 30th of September, they are going to do what they did. With some of our brothers, they sent them letters to vacate their salons before 30th of September. It is not all the provinces but some of us, where we are staying, the situation is not good," she said.

She noted that the threats were not uniformly distributed across all regions but that the atmosphere in her area had become deeply unsettling for the Ghanaian community.

Stranded Without Support

Some affected Ghanaians have moved to other provinces in the hope of securing assistance to return home.

However, those efforts have left many in a precarious situation. "We are now stranded in another province where we don't even have what to eat and where to sleep," the woman said.

She added that an engagement with the Ghanaian Ambassador yielded no further relief. Staff at the mission told those seeking help that the repatriation programme had been closed and that they would need to make their own arrangements to travel back to Ghana.

"The workers there told us that the repatriation was over and there was nothing they can do and so we should manage and get our tickets to back home," she said.

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The accounts point to a community caught between ongoing threats in the provinces where they operate and a lack of official support channels now that the evacuation exercise has ended.

Source: YEN.com.gh