Ghana will not reimburse South Africa for evacuating its nationals after xenophobic attacks, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Thursday, as Pretoria seeks 18 million dollars from five other African countries.
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has formally asked Nigeria, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to cover part of the cost of repatriating their citizens, according to Director-General Tommy Makhode, who briefed the South African Parliament on the expenditure. The department had budgeted R60 million for the operation but ended up spending R292 million, processing more than 82,000 people through repatriation centres as of August 6.
Ghana is not on that list because it never asked South Africa for help, the ministry said. It did not seek any financial or material support from Pretoria to bring its citizens home, and the government covered every cost of the evacuation itself, working with Ghanaian partners.
The evacuation began in May and has brought more than 1,600 Ghanaians home so far, the ministry said. Returnees have received reintegration funds, transport fares and other relief on arrival, and the exercise is continuing.
The ministry said it took note of media reports naming Ghana among the countries facing a reimbursement request before issuing Thursday’s statement to correct the record. It added that it would keep acting to protect Ghanaians abroad whenever their safety was threatened, regardless of cost.
