Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has disclosed that 26 Ghanaian prisoners were among the first batch of 300 evacuees repatriated from South Africa on Wednesday, May 27, following recent xenophobic attacks in the country.

Speaking after the evacuees arrived at the Accra International Airport, Mr Ablakwa expressed gratitude to the South African authorities for allowing the prisoners to return home alongside the other evacuees.

According to him, the individuals had been detained for violating visa and stay permit regulations in South Africa.

“Let me welcome the 26 Ghanaians, whom we negotiated with; they were in prison, they had been detained for visa violations. We negotiated with the South African government that since we are evacuating our nationals, we don't want anybody behind prison and the South African government agreed with us,” he disclosed.

“So I want to thank President Cyril Ramaphosa and my counterpart, the Foreign Minister of South Africa, for accepting our plea,” he added.

Mr Ablakwa further stated that the evacuation exercise had ensured that no Ghanaian remained in prison in South Africa.

“So now, there is no Ghanaian in any South African prison; we have brought all of them back home,” he said.

The Minister explained that the evacuation forms part of government efforts to protect Ghanaians affected by the recent wave of xenophobic violence in South Africa.

The government had earlier announced plans to evacuate Ghanaians in South Africa who wished to return home amid growing security concerns.

He added that returnees would receive the necessary support to help them reintegrate into Ghanaian society smoothly.