Border Management Authority Explains After 5 Ghanaians Were Blocked From Leaving SA

OR TAMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT— At the end of processing 300 Ghanaian nationals at the OR Tambo International Airport on 27 May 2026, 295 passengers were eligible to depart, and five were prevented from leaving the country.

According to a tweet from the Border Management Authority (BMA), officials spent eight hours checking everything before the chartered aircraft left. Five travellers were refused permission to depart for various reasons. One passenger held a valid asylum-seeker permit and could not depart without cancelling the application for protection in South Africa, as that would amount to refoulement. Asylum seekers must cancel their applications to return to their country.

Travelers denied departure

Another passenger did not have a valid travel document because he possessed an expired passport, and the Embassy had not issued an Emergency Travel Certificate. One woman attempted to depart with two minor children belonging to her sister. She did not have documentation to prove the relationship or the required consent documentation from the sister.

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The Border Management Authority stated that these decisions are in line with its mandate to facilitate the legitimate movement of persons and goods. The travellers denied departure were handed back to the Ghanaian High Commissioner for future repatriation once they meet the relevant immigration requirements. These Ghanaian nationals were repatriated through the facilitation of the Ghanaian government through its High Commission in Pretoria.

View the tweet on X here:

Ghanaians welcomed back by politician

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a senior Ghanaian official welcomed the first batch of returnees from South Africa. There were handshakes, tears and babies kissed as they touched down in Accra.

Source: Briefly News