(MENAFN) South African authorities are examining a "mysterious" privately arranged flight that transported 153 Palestinian refugees into the country on Thursday without the necessary documentation, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday.

Ramaphosa explained to journalists that "These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi (Kenya's capital) and came here," noting that both the national intelligence service and the Department of Home Affairs are scrutinizing the situation.

On Thursday, South Africa issued a 90-day visa waiver for the 153 Palestinians who had travelled from Kenya seeking asylum, despite their initial refusal at the border because they had not completed required interviews and lacked standard exit stamps in their passports.

The group of Palestinian refugees waited for over 10 hours on the runway at OR Tambo International Airport outside Johannesburg while authorities decided whether they would be admitted or sent back.

The incident sparked strong public criticism from activists in a nation widely recognized for its vocal backing of Palestinian causes.

According to a written statement from Home Affairs, officials from the BMA (Border Management Authority) discovered missing departure stamps in several passports, along with the fact that some travellers did not possess return tickets or details of accommodation within South Africa.

The statement also mentioned that before entry was ultimately approved, 23 members of the group had already boarded connecting flights to other locations.

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