Ghana Rejects ‘Xenophobia’ Donation
Ghana has formally declined a 20 million Ghanaian cedi’s - around R28-million - financial offer from South African telecommunications company MTN to support victims of recent anti-illegal immigration protests in the country, which have been interpreted as ‘xenophobic’ in nature.
The donation refusal underscores Accra’s rising friction with South African corporate interests following recent anti-immigration protests.
The West African nation insisted it would independently cover all financial obligations regarding the repatriation and reintegration of its affected citizens.
This resolute stance follows South Africa’s recent announcements that it intends to bill foreign governments for deportation expenses.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms that the Mahama Administration has made adequate provision for ongoing evacuations and reintegration of Ghanaians and is therefore unable to accept this offer,” the Ghanaian foreign ministry said in an official statement.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s parliamentary portfolio committee on home affairs expressed deep concern over severe budget diversions caused by recent anti-illegal-immigration enforcement actions.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) incurred around R341-million in emergency spending, depleting its primary annual deportation budget.
This massive financial strain is probably the reason why South Africa aims to recover costs, after some affected African countries made transport provision for their own citizens in the wake of the countrywide protests.
“This is an untenable situation considering the importance of the Department of Home Affairs and its plans to improve services to the population," said Committee Chairperson, Mosa Chabane.
While Pretoria continues its push for foreign governments to share the financial burden of future deportations, the committee noted that diverting baseline funds threatens critical service delivery milestones, especially if the National Treasury fails to reimburse the department.
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