High Commissioner defends GH¢49.72m South Africa evacuation amid accommodation row

Ghana's High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, has pushed back against criticism surrounding the controversial GH¢49.72 million evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians from the country, denying allegations that evacuees were forced to sleep in buses during the operation.

Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, October 24, Mr Quashie insisted that the mission took deliberate steps to ensure all evacuees received proper accommodation in hotels before boarding their chartered flights home.

What the High Commissioner says happened

According to Quashie's account, the evacuation was carefully coordinated to transport Ghanaians from distant provinces such as the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and East London to Pretoria, where flights were departing. Rather than rushing evacuees directly to the airport, the mission arranged hotel accommodation to allow passengers time to rest and refresh themselves before departure.

"Not a single individual slept in a bus; it was impossible," Quashie stated, adding that the strategy was designed to be both cost-effective and humane. The High Commissioner explained that evacuees travelling on, say, a Wednesday departure would be transported on Tuesday, giving them a full day in a hotel to recover from their journey, enjoy meals provided by the mission, and prepare for their flights.

He further clarified that buses transporting evacuees to Pretoria were paid for by the mission itself, and passengers were subsequently transferred from their hotels directly to the airport for departure.

The clarification on longer journeys

Quashie acknowledged that some journeys to Pretoria could be lengthy—particularly from locations like the Northern Cape (12–13 hours) or Cape Town (approximately 10 hours)—and evacuees may have slept during these transit periods. However, he distinguished between sleeping during travel and sleeping in a bus as accommodation, arguing that if evacuees dozed during long road trips, this was a natural consequence of distance rather than a failure of planning.

"The only way they would have slept in a bus is if you are coming from Northern Cape or Cape Town, and of course you will sleep in the bus before you get to Pretoria," he explained, challenging critics to produce evidence of anyone who actually slept in a bus as their designated accommodation.

Why it matters for Ghana

The evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa reflects broader concerns about the safety and welfare of Ghanaian nationals abroad, particularly following incidents of xenophobic violence in host countries. The substantial cost of the operation—nearly GH¢50 million—has naturally invited public scrutiny and debate about resource allocation and government accountability.

The High Commissioner's defence speaks to questions about transparency and efficiency in how Ghana's diplomatic missions manage crisis situations. As more Ghanaians migrate to South Africa and other countries seeking economic opportunities, the government's capacity to protect and evacuate citizens if necessary remains a matter of national interest. The allegations and counter-allegations surrounding this evacuation underscore the importance of clear communication from government officials about how taxpayer funds are spent on such initiatives and whether they achieve their stated humanitarian objectives.