Senior Ghanaian workers in South Africa’s mining sector are asking to join Ghana’s evacuation exercise, citing fears of xenophobic attacks ahead of a planned demonstration on June 30.
Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, said the senior miners reached out through their leaders, saying they feel unsafe as tensions rise.
The appeal comes after Ghana evacuated 300 citizens from South Africa following protests and demands by a section of South Africans for undocumented foreign nationals to leave.
Quashie pushed back on claims by South African immigration officials that only 10 of the 300 evacuees were legally in the country. He said about 80 percent were lawful migrants.
The senior miners’ request adds a new dimension to the evacuation exercise, which has so far focused on traders and students. Many of the senior workers have been in South Africa’s mining sector for years and hold supervisory roles.
No date has been set for the next evacuation flight. The High Commission in Pretoria has not confirmed if the senior miners will be included.
