'We cannot turn them back', S.Africa's Ramaphosa says following unexpected arrival of Palestinians

Record ID: 2277575

  • Title: 'We cannot turn them back', S.Africa's Ramaphosa says following unexpected arrival of Palestinians
  • Date: 14th November 2025
  • Summary: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (NOVEMBER 14, 2025) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING OUTSIDE BUS HUB AND METRO STATION NEAR SITE OF CRASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) 18-YEAR-OLD STUDENT, JULIAN ERNESTES, SAYING:     “The double-decker bus here in the middle accelerated and crashed into the bus stop.” POLICE TAPE ACROSS STAIRS AT METRO STATION ENTRANCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) 18-YEAR-OLD STUDENT, FABIAN
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Assylum Gaza Israel Palestinians Ramaphosa Refugee South Africa War
  • Location: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
  • City: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Africa,Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001211414112025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Speaking on the sidelines during a Johannesburg clean-up campaign on Friday (November14) , South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the media regarding a group of Palestinians who were stranded upon their unexpected arrival in the country on Thursday (November 13).
    "We cannot turn them back, even though they do not have the necessary documents and papers," Ramaphosa told media.
    The group of Palestinians arrived at a Johannesburg airport on a chartered Global Airways flight from Kenya on Thursday without departure stamps, return tickets or details of accommodation, according to border authorities.
    They said none of the Palestinians had applied for asylum, leading to their initial denial of entry. It was not clear where their journey originated. Palestinians in Israeli-blockaded Gaza or the Israeli-occupied West Bank cannot easily go abroad.
    South Africa's interior ministry said the Palestinian embassy had told it the group was deceived and charged money by an unspecified unregistered organisation, which later "attempted to disown any responsibility once complications arose.
    Ramaphosa said South African intelligence agencies, the Department of Home Affairs, and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation were now assessing the situation.
    (Production: Thando Hlophe, Sisipho Skweyiya)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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