Ganacsade reer Ghana ah oo ku soo laabtay dalkiisii ka dib cadaawad shisheeyayaasha loo qabo oo Koonfurta Afrika ka jirtay
Emmanuel Akuoko, oo ah ganacsade reer Ghana ah, ayaa ku soo noqday Ghana kadib markii uu la kulmay cadaawad shisheeyayaasha loo qabo oo Koonfurta Afrika ka jirtay. Wuxuu lumiyay xaaladdiisii socdaalka ee sharciga ahaa wuxuuna ku soo laabtay duulimaad ay qabanqaabiyeen mas'uuliyiinta Ghana.
Noloshiisii Koonfurta Afrika iyo caqabadaha maamulka
Emmanuel Akuoko wuxuu yimid Koonfurta Afrika sanadkii 2014, kadib markii uu ka qaatay shahaadada xisaabta ee Jaamacadda Kwame Nkrumah ee Sayniska iyo Tignoolajiyadda. Wuxuu ka mid noqday dad badan oo u guuray fursadaha shaqo ee dalkaas.
Sanadkii 2018, Akuoko wuxuu lumiyay xaaladdiisii socdaalka ee sharciga ahaa, wuxuuna u leexday tima-jarista oo u furay saloonkiisa. Tani waxay muujinaysaa sida caqabadaha maamulku u saameeyeen noloshiisa.
Cadaawaddii shisheeyayaasha iyo guuritaankii
Akuoko wuxuu aaminsan yahay in cadaawadda shisheeyayaasha ee Koonfurta Afrika ay si weyn u xumaatay sannadihii la soo dhaafay. Wuxuu xusuustay: "More and more often, when you walked around, a little child could simply ask you: 'When are you going back to your country?'"
Wuxuu ku soo laabtay Ghana duulimaad ay qabanqaabiyeen mas'uuliyiinta Ghana, isagoo ka iibiyay saloonkiisa tima-jarista qiyaastii $600, uuna dayacay kaniisad uu dhisayay. Tani waxay ahayd burburka ballanqaadkii qoyskiisa.
Doodda siyaasadeed iyo aragtida guud
Kooxaha anti-immigration-ka ayaa ajanabiga ku eedeeyay shaqo-la'aanta, dembiga iyo dhibaatooyinka dhaqaale. Madaxweyne Cyril Ramaphosa wuxuu diiday eedeymaha ah in socotadu ay mas'uul ka yihiin caqabadaha bulshada iyo dhaqaalaha.
Akuoko iyo xaaskiisii ma aanay qorsheyn inay ku noqdaan Ghana; waxay rabeen inay ku soo noqdaan kadib markii ay guuleystaan. Wuxuu yiri: "It hurts me. I never planned any of this. My wife and I never sat down and said: 'Let's go back to Ghana.' We wanted to return after we had succeeded, just as we had promised our family."
Emmanuel Akuoko, a Ghanaian who arrived in South Africa in 2014 with a mathematics degree and ambitions to build a future, was forced to leave after losing his legal status and facing escalating hostility toward foreign nationals. He departed on a repatriation flight organised by Ghanaian authorities, carrying the bitter memory of a decade dismantled in days.
A Decade of Dreams Collapses
Akuoko arrived in South Africa in 2014, drawn by professional opportunities and the country's demand for mathematics teachers. He held a mathematics degree from Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and initially followed colleagues who had moved there. His wife and he never planned to return to Ghana; they wanted to return after succeeding, just as they had promised their family.
In 2018, Akuoko lost his legal immigration status while working in the public education sector. Unable to continue teaching, he turned to hairdressing and opened his own salon. He says South African authorities failed to renew the residency documents needed to continue his stay. Some Nigerian nationals have also reported prolonged difficulties renewing their immigration permits in South Africa.
Everyday Hostility Becomes Unbearable
The breaking point was not just about paperwork. It was found in the streets, in people's attitudes, in everyday conversations — even among children. Akuoko recalls that more and more often, when you walked around, a little child could simply ask you: 'When are you going back to your country?' In his neighbourhood, being foreign had become a permanent label.
Anti-immigration groups have blamed foreigners for unemployment, crime, and economic difficulties in South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa has rejected claims that migrants are responsible for South Africa's social and economic challenges. For Akuoko, however, the political debate became a daily reality: fear of going outside, constant awareness of being seen as an outsider, and the feeling that violence could erupt at any moment.
A Broken Promise to Family
When Akuoko learned that the Ghanaian government was offering its citizens a chance to return home, he decided to leave quickly. His hair salon, built through years of hard work and reinvention, was sold for around $600 — far below what he believed it was worth. He also had to abandon a church he was building in South Africa.
The sudden return was nothing like the one he had imagined. It hurts me, he says. I never planned any of this. My wife and I never sat down and said: 'Let's go back to Ghana.' We wanted to return after we had succeeded, just as we had promised our family.
