SAfrica´s World Cup airport flies into trouble

Johannesburg airport, expensively refurbished for the 2010 World Cup, wants to welcome visitors with open arms.

But light fingers have made baggage theft a problem, clearing immigration takes time while passengers complain that getting to the city is a nightmare.

All the renovations under the airport’s control have been completed in time for the Confederations Cup in June, the dress rehearsal for the World Cup, said Christopher Hlekane, general manager of the OR Tambo International Airport.

“We have completed our part of the program,” he said. “Now, it is time to work with government stakeholders” including customs, police and transport.

Hlekane believes the biggest challenge will be transporting people the 45 kilometres (30 miles) to the centre of Johannesburg, when the new public transportation system is still under construction.

The first phase of a the regional light rail system, the Gautrain, should be ready just before the World Cup, linking the airport to the Sandton business district, where many hotels are located.

But the massive task is advancing slowly.

“We might not be finished for the World Cup, but we are working towards that. We’ll know by the end of June this year whether we will be finished or not,” said Gautrain spokeswoman Ingrid Jensen.

The Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) has already stepped in to finish work on the Gautrain station at OR Tambo, even though that was not part of its planned renovation work.

Hlekane said getting the job done is more important that maintaining walls between the different agencies.

“We don’t take that approach, because if we fail, we will all fail,” he said.

In that spirit, ACSA hired 400 private security guards to assist the 1,000 police officers deployed in the airport, which suffers from the high crime levels that affect the whole country.

“There is a serious baggage pilferage problem at OR Tambo (Johannesburg) and Cape Town International airports,” the US embassy warns on its website, advising travellers to secure their bags as much as possible.

Conscious of the problem, authorities aim “to reinforce control over all staff, on the tarmac, at immigration, customs and the luggage service,” according to police spokesman Ben Groenewald.

Some of the 32,000 police officers specially recruited for the World Cup will be deployed in the airport, added Groenewald, who heads up security planning for the event.

More staff will also be deployed for customs and immigration, with special visas available for people coming for the tournaments.

“We will have more staff available,” at immigration points during the Confed Cup and the World Cup, said home affairs spokeswoman Siobhan McCarthy.

“For both the World Cup and the Confederation Cup, we will have express dedicated lanes for spectators and FIFA accredited members.”

Last year criminal gangs were targetting tourists at the airport, following them and robbing them as they headed to their destination.

Authorities say they’re working on improving the situation, conscious that the most of the foreign tourists expected for Africa’s first World Cup will start their experience at the Johannesburg airport.