Andrew Stegmann

HOME AFFAIRS SLAMS MASHABA’S COMMENTS ON ILLEGAL FOREIGNERS IN SA

JOHANNESBURG – The Home Affairs Department says there can be no justification for statements made by Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba on illegal foreign nationals living in the city.

While the department has noted challenges facing the city, it says this cannot be a reason for the generalisations made by Mashaba.

Delivering his 100 days in office progress report last week Mashaba said illegal foreign nationals living in Johannesburg must be treated as criminals since they came to South Africa illegally.

He ordered them to vacate the city.

The department’s Mayihlome Tshwete says there shouldn’t be blanket generalisation simply based on the means people used to arrive in South Africa.

“While we note those challenges, we can never say it’s justified for a person to make sweeping generalisations about criminality or even about the integrity of a certain people based on how or the type of movement they used coming into the country.”

Mashaba said illegal activity, particularly in the inner city, is hindering the area’s development.

“They’re holding our country to ransom and I’m going to be the last South African to allow it. I’ve got constrains as local government, because the national government has opened our borders to criminality.”

He said the inner city has been taken over by criminals.

“Every embassy that I’ve engaged with and shared with my plans, everybody agrees.”

Mashaba said those living in the city illegally and involved in criminal activity will be targeted.

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Andrew Stegmann

Is Joburg losing hub status?

Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport may be losing its hub and ‘gateway to Africa’ status, according to recent arrival stats for the first three quarters of this year.

Overseas arrivals to South Africa for 2016 thus far are up 20% compared with 2015, whereas overseas arrivals to Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport are up 17% compared with 2015, and industry insiders agree this could be the beginning of a decline in OR Tambo International Airport’s status.

Ross Kennedy, Chief Executive of Africa Albida, says there is an expanding market-led demand for other airports, both in SA and regionally. While OR Tambo remains a business travel hub, Kennedy believes there is a growing call for Durban and Cape Town in the leisure sector.

He adds that travellers who have already visited SA and now wish to experience other neighbouring destinations will avoid using OR Tambo if they can. “It is clearly evident to any traveller with two eyes that OR Tambo is under stress in so many ways, and that stress passes on to the traveller, impacting on the rest of the journey and holiday experience.”

Hans-Joachim Henckert, a disgruntled passenger, told Tourism Update that he believed Windhoek might become a great hub in the future. “After three consecutive OR Tambo nightmares, I choose, whenever I can, to fly to Cape Town via Windhoek. [There is] calm and less time to Cape Town,” he said.

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Andrew Stegmann

Oppenheimers file new court papers against Gigaba over airport terminal

The minister has hit back at the affluent family, saying they are ‘deliberately trying to feed into this silly idea that all black ministers are captured’.

The Oppenheimers, one of South Africa’s richest families, have reportedly launched a legal challenge against Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba after he rejected their application to grant international status to their seven-star private luxury terminal built at OR Tambo.

At the weekend, the Sunday Times reported that, in new court papers served against Gigaba last week by the family’s aviation company, Fireblade, to review and set aside his decision, they accused the minister of being captured by the controversial Gupta family at the centre of “state capture” allegations.

The luxury airport terminal would service the ultra-rich and allow foreign dignitaries and celebrities to go through customs and immigration at the Oppenheimer facility without using the main building.

Through their lawyers, Werksmans Attorneys, the Oppenheimers accused the Guptas of having “designs on securing an interest” in their airport and exerting pressure on Denel (Fireblade’s landlord) to induce Gigaba to reject their application, according to the paper.

Fireblade said Gigaba’s approval was vital for financial viability. They argued in their court papers that initially the minister had told the Oppenheimers had signed a letter of approval for their facility. However, on October 27, Gigaba made a U-turn and wrote to say he’d rejected their application.

This is apparently despite Oppenheimers’ lengthy paper trail of memos, MoUs, emails, letters and minutes stretching back three years, attached to court papers, showing that they had addressed all of Denel’s security concerns raised by the minister in his objection not to approve their application.

“The grounds on which revocation and refusal were said to be based do not bear scrutiny, and the minister did not endeavour to dispel the Gupta-created impression that he is in their grip,” said Fireblade director Robbie Irons in a supplementary affidavit filed last week.

Irons last month detailed in his founding affidavit how two Gupta pilots had apparently told him of the Guptas’ attempts to wrest control of the luxury terminal from the Oppenheimers.

Mayihlome Tshwete, Gigaba’s spokesperson, reportedly labelled the allegations

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Andrew Stegmann

SA’s ‘vague’ visa requirements wording changes due shortly – DHA

Cape Town – South Africa is preparing for a bumper festive season, with air travel bookings and passenger arrivals on the up and up – as Acsa’s aviation barometer for the last quarter indicates a 5.5% increase in International arrivals.

Last year’s festive season period between December 2015 and January 2016 saw more than 6.5 million passengers travelling through SA’s airports. In anticipation, Acsa has already detailed its plans for beefing up operations for holiday-hub airports.

However the big question on key stakeholders minds is, will visa facilitation be running smoothly during this peak period in order to avoid delays.

According to the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) measures are being put in place to ease traffic flow and levels of congestion at the country’s international airports in the upcoming festive season.

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