'Dem attack me wit knife and stones for South Africa, now I dey happy to be back home' – Ghanaian hairdresser speak

Ghanaian hairdresser, 42-year-old Diana Akuffo survive violent attack from South Africans last week.

Diana be one of di almost 300 citizens wey join di Ghana govment repatriation exercise on Wednesday.

She tok BBC pidgin say more than six men wit knife and sticks attack her and chase her out of her hair salon.

"I close from work on Sunday wey I dey try to carry my bag wen di six South African men begin to attack me, dem beat me well well, in fact dem even cut my hand wit di knife as I dey run away."

Di 42-year-old say "dis pipo say make all di foreigners comot dia kontri, dat be why dem dey attack us."

"Dem carry stones, sticks and oda tins to beat me plenty sake of I be foreigner – dem bin rush me to hospital wey dem stitch my face and my hand and medication."

Diana be one of many Ghanaians and foreign nationals wey face daily harassment and physical attacks for South Africa as dem blame foreigners for taking dia jobs and di kontris high rate of crime.

Ghana high commission officers say dem document at least 25 cases of physical attack and abuse of Ghanaians at di hands of South Africans wey begin wetin dem describe as "anti-immigration protests" across di kontri since early April.

For di Accra International airport on Wednesday 27 May, 42-year-old Diana wey bin dey stay for South Africa for four years, reunite wit her family wit her scars and bruises.

Wit her blue jumpsuit, white and red-striped cardigan and ruffled afro wig, Diana slowly cross di immigration desk to hug her husband and son wey bin dey wait for di airport for more than 4 hours to see dia mama.

Diana say she still no dey feel well, "I even pass out bifor di flight move from South Africa, I no dey well at all."

She still get blood-shot eyes wey her tone resemble someone wey dey struggle to tok.

"I dey happy to return home, if I dey alive, I fit get beta tins to do for myserf. Oda Ghanaians wey dey for my area and oda places also face plenty attacks."

"Now I wan do my salon business; bifor I go South Africa, I bin dey operate one salon and shop, I dey hope to go and reopen dat shop to start all ova again.

Diana im husband dey excited to reunite wit his wife afta di attacks

Leader for di anti-immigration pressure group and vigilante, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma insist say foreigners gatz comot dia kontri to "go and fix dia own".

As South Africa govment dey try to reduce tension and deal wit di issue of undocumented migrants, anti-immigration protesters dey continue to give all foreigners 30 June deadline to pack and comot di kontri.

"I dey disappointed say di Ghana govment tok say South Africans dey attack Ghanaians, di foreign minister don exaggerate di mata to create tension," Jacinta tok for one press conference.

But husband of 42-year-old Diana say di tins im wife go thru togeda wit oda Ghanaians, be real.

Isaac Addo tok BBC pidgin say "di day I hear say dem beat u my wife, I be very sad and disappointed, I no fit sleep dat day, for di beginning I try to call her but I neva reach her – dat time I dey very worried."

"Later when I contact her, I tok am say make she prepare and join di Ghana repatriation move and come back home."

"When she send me di pictures of her injuries and cuts, I no fit sleep, but now wey she don finally arrive for Ghana, I be happy man," oga Isaac Addo tok BBC Pidgin.

Anoda woman wit bloodshot eyes explain how she chop arrest at di hands of South Africa police wey dem assault her.

"You see di way my eye make red? Police arrest me wey dem slap me and harass me, dem take my moni too."

She explain say "wia I dey work, di vigilante pipo dey come around wit guns and weapons to attack foreigners, we bin suffer too much, but we tank God say we finally reach our own kontri by di help of di govment."

One oda old man wey im name be Robert say im stay for south Africa for many years, sometimes tins go beta oda times tins go hard.

"I apply for documentation but you neva go get am, di authorities neva go give you di documents. You dey for South Africa, you gatz expect anytin, di good and di bad."

"Many tins happun for South Africa wey make I decide to return home – from relationship to business to di March and March protests wey continue dey happun. We bin try to live our life without dem and di politics of di whole protests but dem push us too far, we gatz comot di fastest way possible to Ghana."

Wetin next for di returnees as more dan 800 odas dey prepare for di next batches

For dis first batch wey di govment carry come free of charge, 62 pipo be children, 97 be women and 141 be men.

Ghana high commissioner to South Africa Benjamin Quashie say dem add 26 immigration offenders to di batch for di last-minute.

Di foreign minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa wey receive di Ghanaians for airport confam say "we negotiate wit di South Africa authorities to allow us carry our citizens wey dey prison sake of visa violations also for dis repatriation, wey dem gree."

Di minister add say "we tok di South Africa govment say we no wan make our countrymen remain for detention wen we bin dey repatriate odas, so dem allow us to carry 26 of dis pipo to join di first batch of evacuees."

Earlier di South Africa home affairs office tok say out of di first 300 wey dem screen for di repatriations, only 10 pipo bin get legal documentation.

But Ghana High commissioner, Benjamin Quashie deny dis claims.

"E neva be true say only 10 pipo get legal documents for dis first batch. 80 percent of di Ghanaians we carry come home today get legal documents and permits to dey for South Africa, wey 20 percent be undocumented."

Di High commissioner challenge di home affairs office to release official information for dis documentation process for di 300 pipo wey return home.

"In di coming days, we also go put out our own data on di citizens we document and register for dis repatriation; if South Africa officials dey do dis tins, dis xenophobic attacks neva go end," Benjamin Quashie tok local media TV3.

Ghana foreign affairs minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa dey assure Diana and oda citizens say govment go ensure dem re-integrate for di society.

Di returnees dey entitled to allowances, medical and psychological support among odas.

Di govment also tok say dem go create job portal wia dem go dey put job opportunities wey dem fit apply.

Some of di returnees be doctors, teachers, health workers, bursary staff and oda artisans.

Some of dem also be businessmen wey comot Ghana many years ago to find greener pastures.

Authorities say dem dey process di rest of di ova 800 pipo wey sign up for dis voluntary repatriation wey di second batch go return to Ghana on Sunday 31 May.

For most of dis returnees, "no where be like home", dem dey happy say at least dem return to some peace afta dem suffer many attacks and harassment form both locals and law enforcement authorities for South Africa.

In fact one man tok as im dey comot di aircraft say "now we fit eat fufu for our own kontri once again", for experts, dat alone be relief wey fit put dia mind at peace, no be to continue to worry about dia safety every minute of dia life.