Ghanaian returnee recounts chilling armed robbery experience in South Africa

A Ghanaian national who was recently evacuated from South Africa following anti-immigrant tensions and reported attacks on foreign nationals has recounted how he was robbed at knifepoint by two men while returning home from work.

Speaking in an interview with JoyNews and monitored by GhanaWeb on June 5, 2026, he said the incident occurred about a month ago when he was heading home from work around 7:30 pm.

According to him, he was walking near a hospital when he noticed two men approaching him from opposite directions.

Sensing that he would react to the attack, both men allegedly pulled out knives and surrounded him.

"As I approached one of them, he removed a knife. When I tried to run away, the other person behind me also removed a knife," he recounted.

Faced with the threat, he said he chose not to resist and instead raised his hands, allowing the attackers to take his belongings.

"I just raised up my hand, and they took everything from me," he narrated.

The returnee noted that he was not physically harmed during the robbery, attributing his safety to his decision not to fight back.

Reflecting on the incident, he alleged some foreign nationals living in South Africa often resist such attacks, which can sometimes result in fatal consequences.

African migrants flee into the mountains as South-Africa's xenophobic violence surges

"In South Africa, I would say every day Congolese die, because they try to fight back? Because they try to fight back. So, they die,” he said.

Despite losing all his possessions, he expressed satisfaction that he escaped without sustaining injuries and was able to make it home safely.

His account comes amid Ghana's ongoing repatriation of citizens from South Africa following a surge in xenophobic violence.

The first batch of evacuees arrived in Accra on May 27, 2026.

Meanwhile, the High Commission of Ghana in South Africa has released the official list of the second batch of evacuees scheduled to return home.

According to a notice issued to the Ghanaian community in South Africa on June 1, 2026, over 1,500 Ghanaians have registered for the repatriation exercise so far, and the verification and processing of these applications is currently underway.

The official list of evacuees scheduled to travel on Saturday, June 6, 2026, has been published, naming hundreds of Ghanaians approved for the upcoming repatriation flight.

Watch the video below:

"By 7 p.m., everyone is expected to be indoors because the streets belong to crímin@ls. One evening, as I was heading home, people approached me from both sides, pointed a knífe at my face, and took everything I had. Living as a foreigner in South Africa is difficult. The fear is… pic.twitter.com/j1QBmWlR2v

— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) June 5, 2026