South African Home Affairs officials say only 10 of nearly 300 Ghanaian nationals who registered for voluntary repatriation were legally residing in the country.

According to the South African public broadcaster South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the group was scheduled to depart from OR Tambo International Airport for Accra amid growing anti-undocumented migrant protests in parts of South Africa.

Home Affairs Immigration and Law Enforcement head Stephen van Neel told reporters that authorities found widespread immigration violations among the group.

“Of the 300 individuals that were on that list, we only found 10 of them being legal in the country,” van Neel said.

He added that the remainder were either undocumented, non-compliant, or had overstayed their permits, and that the Department of Home Affairs would implement the necessary sanctions.

Ghana’s High Commission in South Africa later confirmed that fewer than 300 nationals ultimately boarded the repatriation flight after some were reportedly turned away because of documentation issues. Those affected are expected to be considered for a second repatriation flight later this week.

The repatriation process comes amid heightened tensions over undocumented migration in South Africa, where groups linked to anti-immigration protests have intensified demonstrations in recent months.

Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Kofi Quashie, urged calm and ruled out retaliatory action against South Africans living in Ghana.

“We believe that if there are any South Africans that need to be repatriated, it is the responsibility of state institutions, not individuals,” Quashie said.

He also said that Ghana would continue to promote cooperation and “the spirit of pan-Africanism,” despite the ongoing tensions.