South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) announced that it intercepted 30 foreign nationals at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Thursday in operations targeting human trafficking, visa fraud, and irregular migration.

The arrests come amid heightened security measures ahead of the festive season to prevent the country from being exploited as a corridor for criminal networks.

In the first incident, BMA officials detained 14 Ethiopian nationals, including five men and nine women. The arrests were made after a passenger flagged suspicious travel patterns on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

Preliminary investigations suggested the group may have been part of a trafficking scheme in which individuals transit through South Africa to neighboring countries before attempting to re-enter the country illegally.

In a separate case, 16 Bangladeshi men were stopped after officers discovered fraudulent visas. The men had attempted to blend in with South African passengers in the arrivals terminal but were separated and referred for investigation, where officials confirmed their documentation was fake and their travel intentions suspicious.

Acting Commissioner Jane Thupana commended BMA teams for their vigilance and technical experience, highlighting the agency’s intelligence-led approach.

“These interceptions show how effective our integrated border management strategies are in protecting South Africa from human trafficking and other transnational crimes,” Thupana said.

BMA said it will continue to strengthen border security during the holiday period, working with national and international partners to prevent irregular migration, visa fraud, and human trafficking through South African ports of entry.