South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, has said that nearly three-quarters of Ghanaians who recently returned home had breached the country’s immigration laws and were formally declared undesirable.

Speaking in an interview on Joy’s Super Morning Show on 10 June, Lamola said about 74 percent of the affected individuals had overstayed their visas and were processed in line with South Africa’s legal framework.

“As I’ve said earlier on, with the bulk of all Ghanaians that have come back home, almost 74% had overstayed, and they had been declared undesirable through our processes, and this is the law,” he said.

He added that the development had been officially communicated to Ghana’s diplomatic representatives.

Despite the immigration violations, Lamola stressed that the South African government remains constitutionally obligated to protect all persons within its borders, regardless of nationality or legal status.

“We are indeed protecting all people within the borders of South Africa. Constitutionally, we are duty-bound to protect everyone, including Ghanaian nationals,” he said.

The minister acknowledged the contributions of Ghanaians to South Africa’s economy, noting that many are engaged across key sectors and play an important role in national development.

“There is a huge number of them in the various sectors of our economy. The South African government is duty-bound to ensure that they feel safe,” he added.

Lamola reiterated that constitutional protections apply universally, warning against any form of violence targeting foreign nationals.

“The Constitution does not differentiate. The government has got the responsibility to make sure that everyone is safe,” he said.

His remarks come amid renewed concerns over attacks on foreign nationals, with the government condemning such incidents and reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding all residents.

“It is for that reason why we are condemning the violence against foreign nationals, because it is our duty as the government of South Africa to protect everyone within our borders,” Lamola said.

At the same time, he emphasised that authorities would continue to enforce immigration laws to address irregular migration.

“We also have a duty to deal with irregular migration by enforcing the immigration policy,” he said.