The Border Management Authority (BMA) has uncovered what appears to be growing and coordinated human trafficking and irregular migration networks operating through OR Tambo International Airport. The latest interceptions carried out on 11 December 2025 have renewed concerns about South Africa’s exposure to transnational criminal groups that continue to exploit weaknesses in the aviation and border management system.
Acting BMA Commissioner Jane Thupana confirmed that officials intercepted 30 foreign nationals in two separate operations. While the festive season usually prompts intensified monitoring at ports of entry, the movement patterns and documentation discovered in these cases indicate a broader trend that authorities say has been developing over time.
In the first incident, BMA teams intercepted 14 Ethiopian nationals soon after arrival. The group consisted of five men and nine women who had travelled on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. Their travel details had already been flagged through advance passenger analysis, which showed suspicious movement patterns. According to the BMA, the group’s travel behaviour is similar to methods that human trafficking syndicates frequently use when routing people through South Africa on their way into neighbouring countries. Once outside the airport system, these individuals are often moved back into South Africa through informal entry points or through corrupt networks at land borders.
Thupana said investigations confirmed that the group did not intend to travel for legitimate reasons. She said the indicators used by officials were consistent with known trafficking routes that move people across the region for criminal purposes.
In the second interception, officials stopped 16 Bangladeshi men who were carrying fraudulent visas. They had also arrived on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. Officers noticed the group blending suspiciously among South African travellers in the maze area and removed them from the queue for questioning. Their documents were quickly identified as fraudulent, and officers found that their statements and movement intentions did not match legal entry procedures. The BMA says this raised clear concerns about possible involvement in human trafficking or organised smuggling.
Thupana commended the officers for using behavioural profiling and advance passenger data to identify risks before passengers could exit controlled areas. She said the latest interceptions demonstrate the strength of the BMA’s intelligence-driven approach and the importance of strong screening at ports of entry.
However, these cases also highlight a long-standing challenge at OR Tambo. This is not the first time foreign nationals have attempted to enter South Africa through suspicious means. Previous incidents have involved people who managed to reach OR Tambo and use back-door channels to bypass immigration checks. Those incidents raised concerns about internal collusion and exposed weak points inside the airport, which criminal networks often target.
Security analysts say the repeated use of the airport is linked to South Africa’s large border network and busy international travel routes, which make the country a preferred transit point for organised criminal groups. The BMA says these conditions require constant vigilance, especially during high traffic periods.
Thupana said the authority is strengthening screening, cooperation and monitoring across all ports of entry during the festive season. She said the BMA remains committed to preventing South Africa from being used as a pathway for trafficking networks and irregular migration.
As investigations continue, the interceptions serve as another reminder that the country’s borders face increasingly sophisticated threats which demand consistent enforcement and stronger coordination.
