Department of Home Affairs Clarifies Incident of 153 Stranded Palestinians at OR Tambo Airport

• The Department of Home Affairs commented on the arrival of the 153 Palestinians in South Africa from Kenya
• The group of refugees was stranded on an aircraft after they could not verify their identity and other details of their flight
• The Department described that not all of the passengers of the flight remained, as others left on other flights to other destinations

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, contributed coverage of international and local social issues, including health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests, and immigration in South Africa, during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

OR TAMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — The Department of Home Affairs has clarified the incident in which 153 Palestinians aboard a plane from Kenya were stranded at the OR Tambo International Airport on 14 November 2025. President Cyril Ramaphosa also weighed in on the incident.

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According to the Department, which released a statement, the passengers did not have departure stamps in some of their passports. Others did not appear to have return tickets or addresses in South Africa. The Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, said that the delays in gaining their entry were caused by further verifications that were required.

Department confirms Palestinians' documentation

Schreiber also said that after communicating with the Palestinian Embassy, they established that the absence of return tickets, stamps, and accommodation addresses did not mean they wanted to apply for asylum. He added that 23 members of the group had already taken flights to other destinations in the world. Schrewber also said that the passengers had valid passports.

President Cyril Ramaphosa comments

Ramaphosa commented on the incident in Kliptown, Soweto. He said that Schreiber informed him about what happened. He said that South Africans must receive them out of compassion and empathy. He said that it appears that the Palestinians were being flushed out.

South African DJ Warras also weighed in on the Palestinians stranded at the OR Tambo International Airport. He was disappointed that South Africa welcomed the refugees and questioned why they were not fleeing to other countries nearby.

What did South Africans say?

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Netizen on X reacted to Ramaphosa's comments on the incident.

Driza asked:

"Flushed out by whom and why? Why are they undesirable to that person that he saw it fit to flush them out?"

Junior said:

"You would swear South Africa doesn't have any problems, the way we always accommodate the whole world. Our cries are not heard by our own government."

GalacticOracle said:

"South Africa shouldn't be forced to take part in the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their land."

Ntokozo said:

"I feel for them, but they deserve to be on their land. Their leaving is giving Israel what they want."

David Robert asked:

"What happened to the 28 October 2025 flight? How many more flights are planned?"

South Africans welcome Palestinian refugees

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a video showing the Palestinians receiving a warm welcome went viral. The video showed people at the airport greeting the refugees.

In the video, the Palestinians are shown coming into the airport. The video recorder and others around them give them warm welcomes.

Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News