Authorities have disrupted a suspected human trafficking scheme at OR Tambo International Airport, intercepting 30 foreign nationals believed to be part of illicit cross-border movements.
Border Management Authority (BMA) Acting Commissioner Jane Thupana confirmed that 14 Ethiopian and 16 Bangladeshi nationals were stopped by immigration and border law enforcement officers during routine operations at the Kempton Park airport.
The interventions form part of the BMA’s heightened enforcement efforts over the festive season, a period often exploited by trafficking syndicates and irregular migration networks.
According to BMA spokesperson Mmemme Mogotsi, the first group nine men and five women from Ethiopia was intercepted upon arrival on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. In a separate incident, officers apprehended 16 Bangladeshi men after discovering they were travelling with fraudulent visas.
The BMA says investigations are under way to establish the origins of the documents and whether organised crime networks are involved. The authority has reiterated its commitment to tightening border security and preventing transnational trafficking during the holiday influx.