Fearing xenophobic violence, nearly 300 Ghanaians return home from South Africa on government-organised flights, highlighting growing tensions and disputes over their legal status.

Close to 300 Ghanaians fleeing growing xenophobic tensions and violence in South Africa boarded a repatriation flight on Wednesday that was organised by the Ghanaian government.

It was the first of two repatriation flights; on Sunday, another 300 Ghanaians will be flown out, said the Ghanaian high commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie.

The two repatriation flights have aggravated tensions between the countries over xenophobic attacks. Contentious disagreements remain regarding both the legal status of the Ghanaians seeking repatriation and the official tally of passengers who departed.

SA officials told Daily Maverick that only 10 of the 300 Ghanaians who were to board the flight on Wednesday were properly documented.

"The remaining 290 are undocumented, including 26 deportees who were held at Lindela [a repatriation centre in Gauteng]", said Chrispin Phiri, the spokesperson for International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola.

The Border Management Authority (BMA), which conducted the check-in process, said that the Ghanaian embassy had issued the passengers with emergency travel certificates -- a one-way, single-page document that allows a traveller to return to their country.

"Most of the travellers were found to have overstayed [by] more than 30 days, whilst some overstayed by a year or...