South Africa Deports 16 Bangladeshi Nationals Caught with Fraudulent Visas in Anti-Trafficking Operation

South Africa has announced the deportation of 16 Bangladeshi nationals who entered the country with fraudulent visas on Friday. These individuals arrived at OR Tambo International Airport on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

Acting Commissioner of Border Management Authority (BMA), Jane Thupana, stated this interception forms part of their intensified campaign against human trafficking, irregular migration, and transnational organized crime during the peak festive season.

The BMA's analysis of passenger details flagged suspicious movement patterns, leading to the interception. Preliminary investigations uncovered a common human trafficking syndicate tactic, where individuals attempt to transit through South Africa to neighboring countries before re-entering South Africa illegally.

All male Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended after BMA officials discovered their fraudulent visas. Officers noticed them attempting to blend inconspicuously among South African travelers in the passport clearance area.

Through careful profiling, these individuals were separated from the queue and directed to the BMA Border Law Enforcement Office for secondary investigation. Their documentation was confirmed fraudulent, and their travel intentions appeared inconsistent with legitimate purposes, raising human trafficking concerns.

Thupana commended the officers involved for their vigilance, technical expertise, and prompt action, highlighting that these interceptions demonstrate the effectiveness of the BMA's intelligence-led approach to border management.

The BMA is utilizing advanced passenger data, behavioral profiling, and on-the-ground enforcement as primary tools to prevent South Africa from becoming a corridor for criminal networks.

"The authority will continue to work with national and international partners to ensure that South Africa's ports of entry are secure and that all attempts to undermine national security are decisively countered," Thupana emphasized.

The airline responsible for transporting these illegal migrants will face a fine of R15,000 per individual, as carriers are expected to verify the authenticity of travel documents before boarding. Additionally, the airline will bear the costs of repatriating the Bangladeshi nationals.

South Africa has long expressed concern about subcontinental migrants from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, as well as from African nations such as Somalia and Ethiopia, entering illegally. These entries often involve collaboration between local agents and Department of Home Affairs officials to obtain fraudulent documents, including South African passports.

The department has also voiced concern about South Africa being utilized as a transit point for individuals seeking illegal entry into third countries under the guise of refugee status.

An estimated 350,000 Bangladesh-origin residents currently live in South Africa, with many having sought political asylum following the establishment of diplomatic ties between Bangladesh and South Africa after Nelson Mandela's election in 1994. Prior to this, Bangladesh, like India, prohibited its citizens from visiting South Africa due to the apartheid-era minority white rule.