A man draped in a Ghanaian flag stands among compatriots at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on 27 May 2026. Ghana has repatriated hundreds of its citizens from South Africa after violence against migrants from other sub-Saharan African countries. (Photo: Reuters / Siphiwe Sibeko) An exodus of foreigners is under way as governments help their citizens flee xenophobic attacks in South Africa, ahead of an ominous 30 June deadline.
Nigeria is planning to fly between 2,000 and 4,000 of its people home. Mozambique has already bused out 545 nationals and is ready to evacuate more.
The Malawian government announced this week that it would also help its citizens leave South Africa. Last week, Ghana arranged a charter flight which airlifted 297 Ghanaians home from OR Tambo International Airport. Officials said another flight would be deployed, but it is not yet clear when.
These foreign governments are reacting to a surge of attacks on their citizens and also to the 30 June deadline set by South African anti-immigrant vigilante groups for all illegal immigrants to leave the country.
The Mozambique Council of Ministers decided on Tuesday that it was ready to evacuate 1,000 citizens, the government’s Information Office said in a statement.
It said it was reacting to xenophobic attacks on its citizens since Friday, 29 May, mainly in Mossel Bay.
“Just over 800 Mozambicans residing in the Republic of South Africa were victims of xenophobic attacks last Friday, May 29th, specifically in the city of Mossel Bay, in the Western Cape province. Sadly, seven Mozambican citizens died, five as a direct result of the xenophobic attacks and two as a result of a traffic accident while travelling back to Mozambique in a private vehicle,” the information office said.
The SAPS has confirmed the deaths of two Mozambicans in Mossel Bay.
The Mozambique Council of Ministers said 300 Mozambicans had returned home on their own over the weekend. Those remaining, just over 500, had sheltered in safe locations in the Western Cape. The government repatriation began on Monday.
The government said 545 Mozambicans had arrived at the Ressano Garcia border post on Wednesday in buses it had provided.
“Of the 584 citizens initially scheduled for repatriation, 545 completed the journey to national territory. The remainder have not yet arrived due to situations detected during the screening and immigration control process, such as the detention of a child by South African authorities for document verification and the withdrawal of some citizens before the completion of repatriation procedures.
“Mozambican authorities are monitoring the pending cases, in coordination with South African authorities, providing the necessary consular assistance and ensuring the protection of the rights of the citizens involved.”
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A Mozambican government information office statement had earlier said the government was providing six buses of 60 seats each as well as 12 minibuses to repatriate its people. They were travelling through the Ressano Garcia border post to their hometowns after receiving food supplies for 10 days.
“Given the volatility of the situation – which includes the demand, by anti-immigrant groups, for certain groups of foreigners to leave that country by June 30th – the current situation is expected to worsen, and the government is working towards the necessary mitigation,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian High Commission will on Thursday begin screening its citizens to be evacuated, foreign ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa told Daily Maverick. The details of the evacuation flight would be published after the screening, he said.
“We are projecting an estimate of two to four thousand,” he said.
The Malawian government also announced on X on Tuesday that it would soon begin the repatriation of citizens who wanted to leave South Africa. It said it would announce details of the operation when plans were ready. It is not yet clear how they will be transported, but sources in Malawi said they believed they would travel by road.
The Malawian government warned its citizens not to be “duped” by any people or institutions purporting to be acting on its behalf. The government also noted that there had been several diplomatic engagements with the South African government about reports of “vigilante demonstrations and attacks on African migrants” in parts of South Africa.
It commended the South African government “for taking decisive steps” to address its concerns.
Daily Maverick approached the Department of International Relations and Cooperation for comment, but had not received a reply by the time of publication. DM