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A video of police apprehending eight foreign nationals at OR Tambo International Airport has been doing the rounds on social media.

In the footage, five men can be seen laying on the ground as a sixth is pulled out of what looks to be a small crawl space.

Following the incident, The Department of Home Affairs announced it would be reinstating transit visas after the group tried to enter South Africa illegally.

According to EWN, the Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals reportedly arrived via a Qatar Airways flight from Doha earlier last week. The men were discovered hiding in a network of tunnels via a fire hydrant in the airport.

Transit visas are not required for travellers passing through South Africa on their way to neighbouring countries. However, Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi has indicated that this has increased illegal activities.

“This is what they do… and I think they are starting to abuse it,” he said.

A police offer noticed the group as they made their way through the airport.

“One of them was holding a phone, which meant they were being directed through the airport because they do not know it, as they are not from here,” said Motsoaledi.

The group was then seen entering the fire system, navigating their way through the intricate passages inside the pipes which the illegal foreigners intended to use in order to exit the airport, as per News24.

Watch the video below: 

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Picture: Unsplash

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