Airport Safety Fears Cast Shadow Over G20 as Insider Exposes Chaos at Acsa

A brewing storm before the summit

With the G20 Culture Working Group Meeting around the corner, all eyes should be on South Africa’s ability to host safely and efficiently. Instead, the spotlight has shifted to the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa), where explosive allegations suggest a breakdown in security operations at the country’s busiest airports including OR Tambo International.

A leaked insider account, circulating online since July, has painted a troubling picture of disarray within Acsa’s aviation security systems. The claims, if true couldn’t come at a worse time.

Security “collapse” claims shake confidence

The insider’s allegations centre around Acsa’s five-year security insourcing project, launched to cut costs but now reportedly ballooning into a R2.5 billion burden with a R500 million annual wage bill. According to the leak, the project led to chaos: untrained recruits deployed to sensitive areas, former employees dismissed for misconduct rehired without vetting, and critical access points left unguarded.

When the plan rolled out earlier this year, insiders claim the airport’s “security mesh” the intricate network protecting travellers and cargo, collapsed within hours. Control of operations had to be handed back to management to restore order.

Even more concerning are allegations that Acsa ignored internal warnings about inadequate training, faulty equipment, and non-compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) standards.

Political interference and “creative control”

The allegations go beyond technical failures. Insiders suggest politically connected individuals were placed in high-level roles despite lacking aviation expertise. That, coupled with R333 million in irregular expenditure linked to security procurement, has fuelled suspicions that mismanagement may have taken root at the top.

CEO Mpumi Mpofu and her executive team have dismissed the claims, calling them “a personal affront” and part of an effort to undermine Acsa’s modernisation strategy.

Acsa spokesperson Thea Govindsamy told The Citizen that “day-to-day aviation security operations remain fully functional and compliant” and that the company “categorically rejects any suggestion that aviation security has collapsed.”

Experts raise red flags

Still, independent voices aren’t convinced.
Forensic investigator Brad Nathanson said it would be “naïve” to think Acsa is immune to the dysfunction seen in other state-owned entities. “The difference,” he warned, “is that a collapse at this level could have far-reaching consequences, especially with the G20 Summit days away.”

Explosives expert Jimmy Roodt was even more direct, claiming that South Africa’s main international airports, OR Tambo, King Shaka, and Cape Town, do not meet bomb-safety standards. He accused Acsa of failing to comply with Icao protocols, a claim the company has strongly denied.

Acsa and government push back

Acsa insists the allegations are exaggerated and politically motivated. Govindsamy confirmed that an internal investigation is underway, but said it concerns “legacy procurement issues,” not a security collapse. “There is no R2.5 billion security disaster,” she said, adding that facilities upgrades and compliance checks are ongoing.

The Department of Transport also sought to calm nerves. Spokesperson Colleen Msibi said the government’s security cluster has assured ministers of the country’s readiness for the upcoming G20 event. “If there are concrete allegations of impropriety, the minister will request the Board to appraise her on corrective steps,” she added.

A pattern of public distrust

Public reaction has been swift and sceptical. On social media, South Africans questioned how one of the country’s flagship entities could be mired in such controversy so close to hosting global delegates. “It’s Eskom, Prasa, Transnet, and now Acsa,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Different departments, same story.”

With corruption scandals and service delivery failures now part of the national psyche, public trust in state-owned enterprises is at an all-time low. For many, Acsa’s assurances sound all too familiar polished statements masking deeper rot.

What’s really at stake

If the allegations hold any truth, the implications stretch beyond finances or politics. They cut into South Africa’s global reputation, a nation striving to prove its readiness for international engagement amid internal dysfunction.

As one aviation expert put it bluntly:

“An airport is a country’s front door. If the lock on that door is broken, everyone notices.”

Whether Acsa’s investigation brings clarity or cover-up remains to be seen. But for now, as the world prepares to land in Johannesburg, questions about who’s really guarding the gates remain up in the air.

{Source: The Citizen}

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