Man Who Sold Family Land to Move to South Africa Returns Home Empty-Handed After 16 Years

Nearly 300 Ghanaians returned home last week following rising anti-immigrant protests in South Africa that increased fears over safety and security.

The group, which included women and children, travelled from Johannesburg to Accra as part of a voluntary repatriation exercise organized for Ghanaian nationals who no longer felt safe remaining in the country.

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, welcomed the returnees upon arrival and assured them of support to help them rebuild their lives.

According to the minister, the returnees will receive psychosocial support and financial assistance to ease their reintegration into society.

Among those who returned was a man in his early 50s whose story has attracted attention.

According to friends who spoke about his situation at a gym centre, the man sold his family’s land 16 years ago to finance his journey to South Africa in search of better opportunities.

They said he left Ghana with high hopes of building a successful future abroad.

However, after spending more than a decade and a half in South Africa, he reportedly returned home with nothing to show for the sacrifice.

His story has sparked conversations on social media, with many people reflecting on the risks some Africans take in search of opportunities abroad and the unpredictable realities they may face.

The return of hundreds of Ghanaians follows weeks of tensions and anti-immigrant protests in parts of South Africa, which prompted the Ghanaian government to begin an evacuation exercise for citizens who wished to return home.

Watch the Video below:

“He sold family land to fund his trip to South Africa and stayed there for 16 years. He has now returned.”

— A man remarked after spotting one of the Ghanaian nationals who was repatriated from South Africa to Ghana on a government-chartered flight pic.twitter.com/BECUKJocTH

— 𝐀𝐒𝐊 (@askghmedia) June 3, 2026