In a move officials describe as a necessary defense against a coordinated exploitation of its immigration system, the South African government has withdrawn the 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian travellers. The decision, announced by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, follows the arrival of two controversial charter flights from Gaza and is framed as a direct response to an alleged Israeli-aligned operation to forcibly relocate Palestinians.
According to a statement from the Department of Home Affairs, the visa exemption was being “abused by groups who are helping people leave Gaza and enter South Africa without proper arrangements.” The department detailed that two recent charter flights landed at O.R. Tambo International Airport carrying passengers with no return tickets, minimal or no luggage, and no pre-arranged accommodation.
“Many told officials they didn’t know who planned the trip and they were left stranded after landing,” the statement read. The government believes these flights “may be linked to a coordinated effort to move people out of Gaza.”
International relations expert Ayesha Kajee, providing analysis on the decision, strongly supported the government’s stance, characterizing the flights as part of a sinister plot. “It was definitely an attempt to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip through an intermediary,” Kajee stated, referring to a shadowy organization allegedly involved. “It was an attempt to make South Africa complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza.”
Kajee elaborated on the passengers’ circumstances, alleging they were victims of a scam. “They were not allowed to bring luggage… They were not even allowed to bring things such as baby food for the infants on board,” she said, claiming many passengers believed they were flying to India or Malaysia and only discovered their destination was South Africa upon arrival. She asserted the operation was conducted “with the complicity of the Israeli government.”
The humanitarian group Gift of the Givers, which provided accommodation for the stranded arrivals, confirmed the Palestinians are now in the country “under a different arrangement.”
Minister Schreiber and expert Kajee both emphasized that the policy change does not prevent Palestinians from entering South Africa through standard channels. “Palestinians can walk through the front door, come to the counter, and they get a 90-day visitors visa into South Africa,” Kajee clarified. The revocation specifically targets the visa exemption, meaning Palestinians must now apply for a visitor’s visa in advance, a process officials say will allow for proper vetting.
Kajee argued the move protects South Africa’s moral standing and aligns with its pro-Palestinian foreign policy, which includes a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). “Why did we go to the ICJ?… Why did we speak for the right to return if we then have to help all Palestinians get out of Gaza and come to South Africa? It totally defeats the purpose,” she said.
She stressed that legitimate asylum seekers, students, medical patients, and tourists from Palestine will still be processed, albeit with more documentation. The aim, she said, is to “nip in the bud these attempts to smear the South African state” and prevent the country from being used as a dumping ground for people she described as victims of an ethnic cleansing operation.
The Department of Home Affairs indicated it has received information pointing to requests for more bulk flights, prompting the decisive policy shift to prevent further abuse of the immigration system.