12/12/2025
BMA fines Ethiopian Airlines R15 000 per traveller after suspected trafficking bust
The Border Management Authority (BMA) has announced it will impose a R15 000 fine per traveller on Ethiopian Airlines following the disruption of a suspected human trafficking operation at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park.
Border officials intercepted 30 foreign nationals on 11 December 2025 in two separate incidents that raised serious concerns of irregular migration and trafficking. In the first case, 14 Ethiopian nationals, five men and nine women were stopped on arrival after their travel pattern was flagged through advance passenger data analysis as suspicious.
In a separate incident later the same day, 16 Bangladeshi men were intercepted when immigration officers discovered fraudulent visas and irregular behaviour as they attempted to blend in with other travellers in the arrivals maze.
BMA spokesperson Mmemme Mogotsi confirmed that fines of R15 000 will be levied per person facilitated on the airline, in line with immigration legislation, and that Ethiopian Airlines will be responsible for repatriating the intercepted passengers to their countries of origin.
The authority stressed that investigations are ongoing to determine whether the travellers were part of a larger trafficking network and whether there was consent for their travel. Authorities say their actions form part of heightened festive-season border security operations aimed at combating human trafficking, visa fraud and transnational crime.
Acting BMA Commissioner Jane Thupana commended officials for their vigilance and use of intelligence-led profiling to prevent South Africa from being exploited as a transit route by organised criminal syndicates.
The BMA has urged airlines and the public to strengthen document verification practices to prevent similar incidents, particularly as passenger volumes increase during the holiday period.
