Ghana Secures Release of 26 Nationals Detained in South Africa Over Visa Violations

Ghana has secured the release of 26 citizens who were detained in South Africa for visa violations, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has disclosed.

Speaking on the evacuation exercise on May 27, 2026, on the arrival of 300 Ghanaians in the country, Ablakwa said the government negotiated with South African authorities to ensure that no Ghanaian was left behind in prison during the process.

“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 said.

The 26 Ghanaians were part of a larger group evacuated from South Africa following the government’s intervention.

Ablakwa said the agreement with Pretoria was to facilitate the release and repatriation of all detained nationals to allow them to return home safely.

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