The Border Management Authority (BMA) says Ethiopian Airlines will be fined R15,000 per passenger after a suspected human trafficking operation was intercepted at OR Tambo International Airport this week.
The move follows the detention of 14 Ethiopian nationals and 16 Bangladeshi nationals by BMA immigration and border law enforcement teams. The group was stopped during routine checks and is now undergoing processing.
BMA spokesperson Mmemme Mogotsi confirmed that the airline will also be responsible for repatriating the travellers to their countries of origin.
“The investigations are still ongoing to determine whether they had consent to travel into the country,” Mogotsi said. “We are now establishing what exactly transpired. In the meantime, we must process them, capture their fingerprints, and ensure that once everything is finalised, they are returned to their place of origin.”
The BMA says the interception forms part of heightened efforts to clamp down on human trafficking and irregular migration, particularly during the festive season.