South African Movement Leader Calls Out Ghana’s “Dishonest” Reaction to Repatriation Flights
📍 Accra • by Znews • May 30, 2026
The leader of the March and March Movement in South Africa, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, has voiced strong disappointment with the Ghanaian government over what she describes as “demeaning comments and actions” following the evacuation of Ghanaian nationals from South Africa.
The first batch of 300 Ghanaian evacuees arrived home aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on May 26, 2026, after departing from O.R. Tambo International Airport. The repatriation exercise was launched in response to reports of xenophobic attacks against African nationals by some locals in South Africa. According to reports from Ghanaian politician Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, over 600 more Ghanaians are expected to be evacuated.
However, Ngobese-Zuma argues that the Ghanaian government overreacted. Speaking at a press conference, she rejected claims that Ghanaians in South Africa were being beaten, insisting that a widely circulated video showing an altercation actually involved an individual who had breached South African laws.
“I think the Ghanaian government really overreacted… It’s disappointing,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of respect for Ghana as a country and for the people of Ghana, and we still do. But for them to react in the way that they did is largely dishonest, because to claim that people were beaten up when they were not—and for the Minister of Police to even echo that—is absolutely ridiculous.”
She clarified the context of the viral video: “What we saw in that video was Victoria Africa speaking to someone who had broken the laws of the country, came in legally and stayed illegally, which is something a lot of foreign nationals do.”
Ngobese-Zuma added that the situation could have been handled more diplomatically. “Instead of addressing the issue correctly and acknowledging that a citizen had broken the laws and raising their concerns, they decided to launch a PR exercise that painted South Africa as xenophobic.”
The controversy highlights growing tensions between African nations over how to balance citizen safety and diplomatic relations amid rising fears of xenophobia in the region.
https://x.com/afrisagacity/status/2060352992541327494?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2060352992541327494%7Ctwgr%5Ebae3c76d1c2f7a0edfbfce67f8a6ae28c23d3666%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ghanaweb.com%2FGhanaHomePage%2FNewsArchive%2FXenophobic-Attacks-We-are-disappointed-with-Ghana-s-government-Jacinta-Zuma-2036950
The first batch of 300 Ghanaian evacuees arrived home aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on May 26, 2026, after departing from O.R. Tambo International Airport. The repatriation exercise was launched in response to reports of xenophobic attacks against African nationals by some locals in South Africa. According to reports from Ghanaian politician Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, over 600 more Ghanaians are expected to be evacuated.
However, Ngobese-Zuma argues that the Ghanaian government overreacted. Speaking at a press conference, she rejected claims that Ghanaians in South Africa were being beaten, insisting that a widely circulated video showing an altercation actually involved an individual who had breached South African laws.
“I think the Ghanaian government really overreacted… It’s disappointing,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of respect for Ghana as a country and for the people of Ghana, and we still do. But for them to react in the way that they did is largely dishonest, because to claim that people were beaten up when they were not—and for the Minister of Police to even echo that—is absolutely ridiculous.”
She clarified the context of the viral video: “What we saw in that video was Victoria Africa speaking to someone who had broken the laws of the country, came in legally and stayed illegally, which is something a lot of foreign nationals do.”
Ngobese-Zuma added that the situation could have been handled more diplomatically. “Instead of addressing the issue correctly and acknowledging that a citizen had broken the laws and raising their concerns, they decided to launch a PR exercise that painted South Africa as xenophobic.”
The controversy highlights growing tensions between African nations over how to balance citizen safety and diplomatic relations amid rising fears of xenophobia in the region.
https://x.com/afrisagacity/status/2060352992541327494?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2060352992541327494%7Ctwgr%5Ebae3c76d1c2f7a0edfbfce67f8a6ae28c23d3666%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ghanaweb.com%2FGhanaHomePage%2FNewsArchive%2FXenophobic-Attacks-We-are-disappointed-with-Ghana-s-government-Jacinta-Zuma-2036950
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