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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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.
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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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
Source
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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Fake US embassy in Ghana shut down after 10 years issuing visas
Ghanaian and Turkish crime rings ‘paid corrupt officials to look the other way’ to illegally obtain authentic documents
Authorities in Ghana have busted a fake US embassy in the capital Accra run by a criminal network that for a decade issued illegally obtained authentic visas, the US State Department has said.
Until it was shut down, the sham embassy was housed in a rundown, pink two-storey building with a corrugated iron roof and flew an American flag outside. Inside hung a portrait of the US president, Barack Obama.
“It was not operated by the United States government, but by figures from both Ghanaian and Turkish organised crime rings and a Ghanaian attorney practising immigration and criminal law,” the State Department said in a statement.
Turkish citizens who spoke English and Dutch posed as consular officers and staffed the operation. Investigations also uncovered a fake Dutch embassy, the State Department said.
Officials in the Netherlands were not immediately reachable for comment on Sunday.
The crime ring issued fraudulently obtained but legitimate US visas and false identification documents, including birth certificates at a cost of $6,000 (£4,700) each, the statement said.
During raids that led to a number of arrests, authorities also seized authentic and counterfeit Indian, South African and Schengen zone visas and 150 passports from 10 different countries along with a laptop and smartphones.
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