Three Ghanaian children living in South Africa have shared heartbreaking accounts of alleged xenophobic bullying and discrimination at school, saying they have become targets of abuse because of their Ghanaian identity amid rising hostility towards foreign nationals.
Speaking to Umaru Sanda Amadu on Citi Eyewitness News, the children said they have endured repeated insults, exclusion and intimidation despite being born and raised in South Africa.
An 11-year-old boy said he is constantly mocked by classmates because of his nationality.
“Sometimes they tell me I am ugly and a foreigner. There are times they call me names. I choose to be a Ghanaian. I want to come to Ghana. They just bully us every day,” he said.
His six-year-old sister alleged that the bullying extends beyond her classmates, claiming that her teacher frequently refers to her as “makwerekwere”—a derogatory South African term used to describe foreign nationals, particularly black African immigrants.
“Always in my class my teacher calls me ‘makwerekwere’. She blames me for things I did not do and calls my classmates to tease me. I don’t know why. When my father comes over, she acts like nothing happened. She doesn’t want to be friends with me but when my father is around she acts good to me. I don’t want to stay here. I want to come back to Ghana, my country,” she recounted.
Their seven-year-old brother also described what he said was relentless harassment from his peers.
“When I am eating, they kick my food away, complain and lie about me. They say I have two big teeth, two big ears and a long nose. Afterwards they say they will send me out of their school,” he said.
Their father, Isaac Owusu, said the escalating xenophobic climate has left his children emotionally traumatised and unwilling to attend school. According to him, the children have stayed home for about a month because they fear for their safety.
Mr. Owusu said his family is now eager to return to Ghana on the next available evacuation flight, citing concerns over growing anti-foreigner sentiment and reports of a June 30 deadline allegedly issued by some South Africans for foreign nationals to leave the country.
“I went to the High Commission last week and was told that there will be a flight next week, though I was not told the day. I will use this opportunity to plead with His Excellency John Dramani Mahama to have mercy on us because we are facing a very big challenge,” he appealed.
The family’s ordeal comes amid renewed concerns over xenophobic attacks and hostility towards foreign nationals in South Africa, prompting the Ghanaian government to intensify evacuation efforts.
Since the recent resurgence of xenophobic violence, Ghana has evacuated more than 987 citizens from South Africa.
The first evacuation flight arrived in Ghana on May 27 with 300 returnees, followed by a second flight on June 6 carrying 345 nationals. A third batch of 342 evacuees returned on June 7.
The evacuation exercise forms part of government efforts to assist more than 1,500 Ghanaians in South Africa who have expressed their willingness to return home over fears for their safety.
