South Africa evacuation: We will resist any new evidence from Foreign Affairs Ministry – Asafo-Adjei Ayeh

The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has said that the Minority will resist any attempt by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to introduce new information or evidence concerning the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.

He said the Minority’s concerns about the evacuation exercise were based on documents provided by the Ministry following a Right to Information (RTI) request, insisting that any further explanations must be consistent with the records already supplied.

Mr Asafo-Adjei Ayeh said although the Minority supported the evacuation as a humanitarian intervention, it had raised questions about the reported number of evacuees, the cost of the exercise and the documentation used to account for the expenditure.

“The evacuation we all supported. It was a good humanitarian cause, and we commended him for that. But the figure of 1,964 made the Minority question the build-up to get that number, the cost involved and all the documents on the evacuation,” he said in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen.

He said the Minority submitted an RTI request to the Foreign Affairs Minister and received documents which formed the basis of its subsequent press conferences and demands for accountability.

“For integrity’s sake, we will resist any attempt by the Ministry to introduce any new information or new evidence on this matter,” he said.

Mr Asafo-Adjei Ayeh also alleged that the Ministry was changing information on its website, warning that the Minority would not accept information introduced after the documents had been provided to them.

He said the Ministry had reported that 1,964 Ghanaians were evacuated, with each returnee expected to receive GH¢5,000 for reintegration and GH¢500 for transportation.

However, he said the documents provided by the Ministry showed discrepancies in the number of people who signed for the two payments.

According to him, 1,508 people signed for the GH¢5,000 reintegration support, while 1,001 signed for the GH¢500 transportation allowance.

He said a comparison of the two sets of records showed that only 824 names appeared on both lists.

Mr Asafo-Adjei Ayeh questioned how the Ministry intended to account for the differences, particularly when the total number of evacuees was reported to be 1,964.

He also alleged that there were duplicate entries in the documents supplied to the Minority, raising further questions about the accuracy of the records.

“If the Ministry has evidence, they should come with it. There are duplications in the documents, so how do you account for it?” he asked.

The Deputy Ranking Member said the Minority was demanding further explanations and proper accountability from the Ministry, insisting that the concerns raised had not been adequately addressed.

He called for an independent audit of the evacuation exercise, arguing that the discrepancies identified in the documents warranted an external examination of the records and expenditure.

“The Ministry should give it to independent auditors to audit because of the level of discrepancies we are seeing,” he said.

Mr Asafo-Adjei Ayeh maintained that the Minority’s concerns were not about opposing the humanitarian intervention but ensuring that public funds were properly accounted for and that the records accurately reflected the number of Ghanaians evacuated and the support provided to them.

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