Monday’s National Shutdown resulted in many businesses closing their doors, but apart from a few disruptions, it was business as usual at OR Tambo International Airport (JNB).
The National Shutdown was orchestrated by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) for South Africans to take a stand against the current government. Thousands of locals took to the streets, which saw a lot of places turn into picket lines in Pretoria, Sandton, and, most importantly, at the Johannesburg Airport.
As Africa’s most popular hub, there was a heavy police presence to ensure travelers would not get caught in the chaos. According to reports, the protests were relatively peaceful, and entry into the airport was restricted.
Preparing for the shutdown
The EFF called for businesses to halt operations throughout Monday, which led to supermarkets, malls, and many other places turning dormant. However, since operations at airports affect citizens from around the world, officials had to make sure they continued as usual.
On Sunday, March 19, passengers were warned of possible disruptions at the OR Tambo. The Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) advised that the passenger terminal departures drop-off and the arrivals pick-up roads would be temporarily closed until further notice.
Airline crew buses and emergency, diplomatic, and transit vehicles had to be redirected to different parking lots and terminals. To ensure safety, all the airport’s access points were monitored by security, and employees had to produce their permits to access controlled areas.
Ensuring safety for all travelers
In recent years, South Africa has experienced violent protests, which stakeholders feared. Monday’s protests were far from violent; however, there was a heavy police presence at the airport to ensure the safety of all travelers.
The Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deployed numerous police officers who seemed to outnumber the protestors. SABC News spoke to EMPD Spokesperson Kelebogile Thipa, who explained the reasons for the police presence. She said;
“It is necessary to bring such heavy police contingency to a national key point like this. We do know that O R Tambo is one of those that are our ports of entry. So to ensure the safety of both internationals and locals, we need to have a visible police presence.”
The law enforcement personnel were mandated to protect the demonstrators, passengers, and airport employees. Thipa added that there was no forced attempt to enter the premises due to the police contingency, and only those with permission were allowed to enter the airport. Thipa added;
“We can just confirm that this protest has rather been conducted with such grace of discipline, whereas we haven’t had reports of any infrastructure being burnt or anything that is out of the ordinary in that regard. So we do commend that, you know, since they are exercising their constitutional rights, that’s what has been carried forward with a great understanding of ensuring the protection of essential infrastructure.”
Operations inside the airport
Some EFF members had previously visited the airport to highlight that Monday would not be a typical business day. However, the police commissioner and other security forces were present to guarantee passengers that operations would proceed as usual.
Although it did not look like business as usual outside OR Tambo, it was the case on the inside, except for a few delays and diversions. Airport officials intended to maintain the reputation of OR Tambo and did not want travelers to take away bad memories from their time in South Africa.
It was business as usual in the terminals, but some passengers faced delays due to blocked roads and disarray in the airport’s vicinity. One passenger flying from Johannesburg to Maputo said to SABC;
“We found that on the road, there was a very big tree lying across the street, but due to active forces, everything was okay. Yeah, it was okay, but the inconvenience was that our flight had to be delayed due to the strike, and it was delayed until half past four, yet we were supposed to report at twelve o’clock. You see, now we are so frustrated. We don’t know what to do, we are flying to Mozambique.”
It is unclear which airline they were flying on, but Airlink is one of the airlines that apologized for any inconvenience. From the look of things and other passenger reviews, it seems that airport officials carried out their mandate successfully.
Were you at OR Tambo during Monday’s shutdown? Let us know about your experience in the comments!
Source: SABC
