The South African government is investigating a chartered flight that carried 153 Palestinian refugees from Nairobi, Kenya, to Johannesburg on Thursday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed the investigation on Friday. The group included a pregnant woman and several children. They were held on the plane for over 12 hours at OR Tambo International Airport.
Border Management Authority (BMA) officials initially denied them entry. Their passports lacked the required Israeli departure stamps. They also did not have return tickets, nor did they have confirmed accommodation addresses in South Africa.
After intervention from the Palestinian embassy and humanitarian groups, they were allowed in. The government granted them a 90-day visa exemption on humanitarian grounds. By then, 23 travellers had taken flights to other destinations. The remaining 130 are now housed in Johannesburg. Local NGOs and families are providing support.
SMread: Palestinian refugees arrive In SA amid deep uncertainty
A costly and uncertain journey
The refugees paid thousands of dollars for the trip. They were unsure of their final destination. According to reports, they paid between $1,400 and $5,000 each (R23 952 and R85 545) for a promised safe passage out of Gaza. An organisation called Al-Majd allegedly arranged the travel.
The travellers were only told they were going to South Africa in Nairobi. They received their boarding passes there. They arrived with only their passports, phones, and some cash. Their other possessions were reportedly taken from them.
This was the second such flight of Palestinian refugees to arrive. Another plane with 176 people landed on 28 October. Activists and civil society groups have raised serious concerns and accuse Israel of facilitating a form of ethnic cleansing, arguing that no one can leave Gaza without Israeli approval.
An Israeli military body, COGAT, stated it received approval. It claimed a “third country” agreed to receive them. A spokesperson later confirmed this country was South Africa. This suggests Pretoria may have authorised the arrival.
President Ramaphosa said it seemed the people were “being flushed out”. The government’s investigation aims to uncover who organised these flights and will determine the full circumstances of the refugees’ journey.
Image via Yeni Şafak.
