South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, has said that nearly 74% of Ghanaians who recently returned home had violated the country's immigration laws and were subsequently declared undesirable through established legal procedures.

“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,” Mr Lamola stated.

Speaking on Super Morning Show on June 10, Mr Lamola said despite the immigration breaches, the South African government says it remains committed to protecting all persons 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 said.

Mr Lamola noted that many Ghanaians continue to make meaningful contributions to South Africa’s economy across various sectors and deserve protection.

“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.

He stressed that constitutional protections extend to everyone living in South Africa, irrespective of their immigration status.

“The Constitution does not differentiate. The government has got the responsibility to make sure that everyone is safe,” he said.

The remarks were made as the government condemned violence against foreign nationals and reiterated its obligation to guarantee the safety of 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,” Mr Lamola explained.

At the same time, he said the government would continue tackling irregular migration through strict enforcement of immigration laws.

“We also have a duty to deal with irregular migration by enforcing the immigration policy,” he stated.