25 foreign nationals were caught trying to enter the country without proper and required documentation at OR Tambo International Airport. File Picture: Armand Hough Independent Newspapers
Border Management Authority (BMA) officials have caught and detained a group of foreign nationals at OR Tambo International Airport who tried to enter the country on Tuesday without proper documentation, while some failed migratory inspection.
According to the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa), the group of foreigners consisted of 14 Bangladesh nationals – 13 of them travelled with fake visas, then one failed a migratory inspection. Six others were Pakistan travellers – three with fake visas, the other three failed migratory inspection. Additionally, four Ghanaians and a Nigerian failed migratory inspection. All parties implicated were prevented from entering the country.
The airport management confirmed that these foreign nationals arrived on various flights and destinations, including from Qatar and Togo.
Acsa has acknowledged a growing trend of illegal travellers, and the entity will thus be engaging with stakeholders and airlines to eradicate this gross non-compliance by those responsible.
This incident follows two previous ordeals, where on Saturday 10 Bangladesh nationals were intercepted and detained by BMA officials at OR Tambo Airport. Five had fake visas issued by the South African High Commission in New Delhi in India, while one’s fake visa was issued by the Department of Home Affairs.
Another 28 Bangladesh nationals were caught last month at the airport on a flight from Dubai. The travellers were denied entry within the perimeters of South Africa because 27 of them carried fake visas, while the remaining one did not have a visa.
“While this is a concerning trend, which may be propelled by misconception of impact of elections, we remain committed to protecting our points of entry and ensuring the safety of both our travellers and stakeholders across our network.
“This latest successful interception demonstrates the importance of our multi-agency safety and security approach throughout our environment to enhance airport and aviation security in general.
“We have rolled out an aviation security model that is vertically and horizontally integrated with various law enforcement authorities to root out criminality across our airports. Acsa would like to congratulate the BMA for the good work it is doing,” said Acsa regional general manager Jabulani Khambule.
The OR Tambo International Airport management team assured passengers and stakeholders of the strong security protocols and safety measures in airports, with collaborative efforts with law enforcement between the BMA, the police, Acsa Aviation Security, and intelligence agencies.
“The latest interception is yet another great result stemming from the collective efforts of various stakeholders at national key points to ensure that, by working together, our country’s points of entry are kept safe.
“Acsa has a zero-tolerance approach to criminal or unlawful behaviour at OR Tambo International Airport and any form of criminality will not be tolerated. Offenders will be brought to book and will face the full might of the law,” said Khambule.
The Star