The Border Management Authority (BMA) says it successfully processed nearly 300 Ghanaian nationals for repatriation from South Africa following extensive immigration checks at OR Tambo International Airport.

According to a statement issued by the BMA on Thursday, Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato confirmed that 295 Ghanaians departed South Africa on a chartered flight arranged by the Ghanaian government through its High Commission in Pretoria.

The repatriation operation comes amid heightened tensions on social media over undocumented migration and growing anti-illegal immigration sentiment in South Africa.

The BMA said 300 Ghanaian nationals were presented for processing before departure to Accra. Of those, 25 were transported from the Lindela Repatriation Centre by the Department of Home Affairs’ Immigration Inspectorate, while 275 were brought by officials from the Ghanaian High Commission.

During the immigration process, authorities discovered that approximately 90% of the travellers were undocumented and had to be issued with Emergency Travel Certificates by the Ghanaian Embassy.

“These are one-way single-page documents which allow a traveller to return to their country of origin,” the BMA explained.

Authorities further found that many of the travellers had overstayed their visas by more than 30 days, while others had remained in the country unlawfully for more than a year.

“As a result, they were declared undesirable in terms of Section 30 of the Immigration Act, read with regulation 27(3)(c) of the Immigration Regulations,” the statement read.

Despite the large-scale operation proceeding successfully, five passengers were denied permission to depart due to immigration compliance concerns.

One traveller was stopped because he held a valid asylum seeker permit and had not formally withdrawn his application for protection in South Africa.

The BMA said allowing the individual to leave without cancelling his asylum claim would have amounted to “refoulement”, which refers to the forced return of an asylum seeker to a country from which they had sought protection.

Another passenger was denied departure because he was carrying an expired passport and had not been issued with an Emergency Travel Certificate by the Ghanaian Embassy.

A woman travelling with two minor children was also prevented from boarding after failing to provide documentation proving her relationship to the children or consent from their legal guardian.

The BMA said the decisions were consistent with its legal obligation to ensure the lawful movement of people in and out of South Africa.

“The travellers who were denied departure were handed back to the Ghanaian High Commissioner for future repatriation should they meet the relevant immigration requirements,” the authority said.

Commissioner Masiapato said the operation demonstrated the BMA’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws at ports of entry.

“This decisive action underscores the BMA’s uncompromising implementation of the South African legislative framework in its facilitation and management of people and goods movement in and out of the country,” he said.

The repatriation exercise has triggered heated reactions on social media platform X, where debates around illegal immigration, xenophobia and diplomatic relations intensified.

One user posted a threatening message directed at South Africans ahead of an alleged June 30 ultimatum calling for undocumented immigrants to leave the country.

“If South Africans lay a hand on any Ghanaian in South Africa on June 30, 2026, we will reciprocate twofold in Ghana,” the user wrote.

The post further alleged that South African women living in Ghana would be targeted, sparking outrage online and condemnation from some users who warned against incitement and retaliatory violence.

Another user responded by linking the immigration issue to broader concerns about human trafficking and criminality.

“This indictment proves our claims that our girls are being trafficked in numbers. For years, foreign nationals mistook our hospitality for foolishness,” the user wrote.

Others used the BMA statement to challenge earlier claims circulating online that the Ghanaian nationals being repatriated had proper documentation.

“Please make sure to diplomatically share this information with Ghana Embassy as it’s running a campaign that their people’s paperwork was fine,” another X user posted after the BMA released its statement.

The online exchanges highlight growing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement in South Africa, where government authorities have intensified operations targeting undocumented migrants through initiatives such as Operation Vala Umgodi and Operation HI-TIVISE.

The BMA has urged members of the public to report illegal cross-border activities through its hotline and online reporting systems.

The authority reiterated that all immigration enforcement measures would continue to be implemented within the framework of South African law while respecting international obligations and human rights protocols.