'A South African woman can drink 12 bottles of alcohol in 24 hours' - Ghanaian evacuee claims

One of the 300 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa following renewed xenophobic tensions has sparked controversy after making explosive claims about the lifestyle and social conditions he encountered during his stay in the country.

Speaking in an interview on Metro TV’s Good Afternoon Ghana on May 28, 2026, the returnee, identified as Fiifi, claimed that alcoholism, drug abuse, and what he described as a weak work culture were contributing to frustrations fuelling attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa.

“A South African woman can sit and drink 12 bottles of alcohol within 24 hours. So if you are drinking alcohol, where then do you get the time to do economic activities? And which economic activity can you undertake when you are drunk?” he said.

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Fiifi, who said he spent nine months in South Africa before returning to Ghana, argued that many migrants from Ghana, Nigeria, and other African countries succeed there because they focus on work and small businesses.

“So at the end of the day, when you see someone from Kumasi, Tamale, Takoradi, Nigeria go there and is using their time to braid hair, do beautician work, or any other job, they say the person is taking your job. But you are not engaged in any economic activity in the first place,” he stated.

He also made controversial remarks about education and social life in South Africa, claiming academic qualifications do not always translate into practical judgment or responsibility.

“I’m telling you on authority due to my nine-month stay in South Africa, a South African can go to school, but their ability to understand circumstances, apply wisdom, and make prudent judgments is not there,” he claimed.

He however opined that the average Ghanaian with a junior high school certificate is more intellectually sound than a senior high school South African.

According to him, some social conditions in South Africa contribute to rising crime and anti-foreigner sentiments.

“They don’t have a sense of community, communal living, and then alcoholism,” he said, adding that drug use among teenagers is common in some communities.

“When it comes to communal life, like children of 13 years smoking weed and of course the law allows it, when you look at the end product, that is why there is so much crime,” he alleged.

Fiifi also defended migration, insisting it should not be viewed negatively.

“Not all people who wander are lost. If I see a business opportunity, I would take it. So if people see that they can make a profit from hairdressing, nails, or whatever, they will move into that market in that region. It doesn’t mean they are wandering or their country is terrible,” he stressed.

He also recounted knowing individuals in South Africa who, according to him, had spent decades unemployed while struggling with alcoholism.

“I have a friend in South Africa who is 40 years old and his daughter has never worked before. He is more friendly to alcohol than to his own senses,” he claimed.

The comments come amid heightened tensions following renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa, which have forced hundreds of Ghanaians to return home under a government evacuation exercise.

The situation has sparked heated debate online and offline, with growing calls for African governments to take stronger measures to protect their citizens abroad.

NAD/MA

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