SA probes arrival of 153 Palestinians
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the 153 Palestinians who ‘mysteriously’ landed at ORT International Airport on Thursday, appear to have been ‘flushed out’, reports News24.
Speaking to journalists in Kliptown, Soweto, on Friday, Ramaphosa said SA was processing the people.
‘Yesterday we had a plane carrying Palestinians landing at OR Tambo and these are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here.’
He said he got to hear about it from Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, wanting to know what to do.
‘We cannot turn them back. Even though they do not have the necessary documents and papers, these are people from a strife-torn, a war-torn, country.’
Ramaphosa said the matter was being investigated thoroughly.
Border Management Authority (BMA) Commissioner Michael Masiapato, said the group arrived on a Global Airways charter flight from Kenya.
Masiapato said the Palestinians were eligible for a 90-day visa.
The Embassy of the State of Palestine in SA said an ‘unregistered and misleading’ organisation arranged the arrival of the Palestinians. The embassy said it has been working closely with SA authorities.
The Department of Home Affairs clarified that the 153 travellers from Palestine did not apply for asylum in SA.
According to EWN, the group arrived on a flight from Nairobi, Kenya. Initially, they were not allowed to disembark as they lacked the customary departure stamps in their passports.
The department later granted them entry after receiving crucial information and confirmation.
Schreiber confirmed the group was permitted entry after a reassessment.
‘I presented the new fact set to the BMA Commissioner for consideration, including on humanitarian grounds. Once satisfied that the absence of certain elements from their itinerary would not leave them destitute in SA in the absence of any asylum claims, the travellers were granted entry into SA on the standard 90-day visa exemption, subject to compliance with the standard conditions.'
Schreiber said by the time entry was granted, 23 members of the group had already taken onward flights to other destinations.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
