300 Ghanaians were evacuated from South Africa due to xenophobic attacks
A Ghanaian woman who spent 18 years building a life in South Africa has returned home with harrowing stories of armed robbery, imprisonment, and violent attacks that eventually forced her to leave the country.
Grace Asempa, a hairdresser who lived in East London in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, shared her experiences with Joy News on Friday, May 30, 2026.
She recounted years of hardship and insecurity despite her efforts to work hard and build a legitimate business.
"I started in East London, in the Eastern Cape. I've been in South Africa for 18 years. I had a child there and worked as a hairdresser. I bought my own salon in East London in 2011 and was operating it successfully," she said.
Grace recalled one of her earliest encounters with violence when armed robbers targeted her salon. However, she said the situation became even more frightening when criminals broke into her home.
"What scared me the most was when they came to my house. I don't know what substance they used on me. I overslept, and they entered my room and took what they wanted, my money and my three phones," she recalled.
An even more traumatic experience occurred while she was living in Mpumalanga, where she found herself confronted by three men armed with knives while alone with her young son.
"Three guys came at me with sharp knives; long, sharp knives. I was alone with my son, who was only two years old at the time," she said.
Grace also recounted a troubling encounter with a woman who identified herself as a community leader and visited her salon for nail services.
"I noticed that two of her fingernails had fungal infections, and such nails do not hold installations for long. I informed her, but she insisted that I proceed. I did the work and collected my payment," she explained.
When two of the nails later fell off, as Grace had predicted, the woman returned and allegedly threatened her.
"She told me to wait because she was calling thugs to come for me. She said they would drag me out and kill me," Grace recounted.
Fearing for her safety, she redid the nails free of charge.
Grace also described being arrested at a roadblock while on her way to buy food after she failed to produce her passport on demand.
"I didn't carry it with me because someone could easily snatch your bag while you're walking on the street," she explained.
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According to Grace, the immigration officer showed no sympathy.
"He said, 'You people want to take our laws for granted. I will teach you a lesson you will never forget. I'm taking you to the station,'" she recalled.
She was subsequently remanded for two months. Despite informing authorities that she had a three-year-old child, she said they refused to release her, arguing that the child was not with her at the time of her arrest.
Grace said she had attempted several times over the years to save enough money to return to Ghana, but the high cost of living made it difficult.
"The money we make each month goes into paying rent for the shop and for where we live. Looking at the expenses, it becomes difficult to save enough money to come back home," she explained.
Now back in Ghana, Grace says she is rebuilding her life from scratch.
"I am trying to find a place to stay because I now feel like a stranger here," she said.
She disclosed that the government assistance she received upon her return amounted to GH¢5,500.
"3 guys attacked me with sharp knives [in South Africa], I was with my 2 year-old son"
— Joy 99.7 FM (@Joy997FM) May 30, 2026
- Grace Asempa, a Ghanaian returnee from South Africa shares her experience. #Newsfile pic.twitter.com/V0mpwUkPiw
ID/MA
Meanwhile, watch as Ghana's Parliament passes anti-LGBTQ bill again:
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