The government, including its security cluster, will investigate the circumstances under which a planeload of 153 Palestinian travellers arrived at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
This is according to home affairs minister Leon Schreiber.
The Palestinians were allowed to enter South Africa on 90-day visas on humanitarian grounds. They had been temporarily stopped by immigration officials when they landed on Thursday due to inadequate paperwork. A number of them did not have exit papers from Israel or return tickets or addresses for their accommodation in South Africa.
“As a result of the identified discrepancies in this case, the Border Management Authority could not allow them entry right away, as further verifications had to be undertaken,” said Schreiber.
“While these processes were unfolding, vulnerable members of the travelling company were disembarked onto air-conditioned buses.
“The government subsequently interacted with the Palestinian embassy and other roleplayers. It was established that the absence of stamps, return tickets and accommodation addresses did not indicate that the travellers wanted to apply for asylum.”
The department will continue to work with the Palestinian embassy and the rest of the South African security cluster to probe ... claims. Even as we do so, we remain steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding the dignity of vulnerable people at all times
— Leon Schreiber, home affairs minister
All the travellers are in possession of valid passports, he said.
Once it was confirmed that they would be provided with accommodation and care during their visit, which was offered by NGO Gift of the Givers, they were granted visitor visas.
By the time entry was granted, 23 members of the group had already taken onwards flights to other destinations.
Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman told SABC News this was the second flight of “Gaza refugees” to transit via South Africa. Suggesting it was arranged by a front organisation for the Israeli government, he said the travellers were loaded onto the plane without knowing where they were going.
On Friday morning the Palestinian embassy said the trip was arranged by “an unregistered organisation that exploited the humanitarian conditions of our people in Gaza, deceived families, collected money from them and facilitated their travel in an irregular and irresponsible manner”.
Responding to the embassy statement, Schreiber said: “The department will continue to work with the Palestinian embassy and the rest of the South African security cluster to probe these claims. Even as we do so, we remain steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding the dignity of vulnerable people at all times.”
TimesLIVE
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