Neil Diamond was one of more than 1 000 international passengers stuck for two hours at OR Tambo International Airport due to a power outage yesterday (October 9).
Speaking to Network News Diamond said he landed at 19:45 after a 16-hour flight from Atlanta.
“I was the third person to disembark from the plane and was the first to arrive from my flight in the South African passport line around 8pm. There were already about between 150 and 200 people in line from another flight.
“It took two hours to clear the line as border management staff had to fill in manual forms for each passenger entering and then do a manual check if the details match the passport,” he explains.
Diamond, the former city manager of the City of Mbombela only reached his parent’s home in Alberton at 23:00.
Frustrating experience at Africa’s busiest aviation hub
He also posted about it on Facebook, describing the experience as ‘incredibly frustrating’.
“Flights arriving from the United States, Singapore, Namibia, and Zimbabwe brought hundreds of international visitors into an airport experiencing a major power outage.
“The resulting failure of the border management systems brought immigration processing to a crawl, leaving exhausted passengers standing in lengthy queues with little indication of when the situation would be resolved,” he said.
Diamond added that OR Tambo International Airport is Africa’s biggest and busiest international aviation hub and, and for millions of international visitors, their first impression of South Africa.
“As president of the South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA, I spend a considerable amount of my time promoting South Africa as a world-class destination for international tourism, trade, and investment.
“I consistently defend our country, highlight its extraordinary potential and encourage Americans and international travellers to visit, invest and experience everything South Africa has to offer.
“But tonight, South Africa dropped the ball,” Diamond added.
Questions over back-up systems
Diamond said power failures and technical disruptions happen; however, at an international gateway of this significance, there must be adequate backup systems, contingency plans, and operational capacity to manage such situations without subjecting thousands of arriving visitors to hours of frustration.
“Tourism is one of South Africa’s greatest economic opportunities. We compete with destinations around the world for international visitors, investment, and business travel. The experience at our ports of entry matters enormously because first impressions count,” he added.
Diamond described himself as one of South Africa’s strongest advocates.
“My belief in our country’s potential is unwavering. But supporting South Africa also means being prepared to speak out when we fall short of international standards. We cannot promote South Africa as a world-class destination while accepting anything less than world-class service at our international gateways.”
In a post on Facebook Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) said a power outage in the Kempton Park area affected the airport.
Network News reached out to ACSA for additional comment on their contingency plans and will update this story once they respond.
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