Acsa a good story to be told

Cape Town – The Airports Company of SA (Acsa) as a model of success that other state entities should seek to emulate, the Portfolio Committee on Transport said on Friday.

Chairperson Dikeledi Magadzi said the committee is impressed by Acsa "running an efficient service with less reliance on government for funding". Acsa showed a R1.6bn profit for the year under review and the Acsa CEO Bongani Maseko has been appointed vice-president of the Airports Council International.

Magadzi said this was a good story that needed to be told and is a vindication that not all state entities are crumbling.

Deputy Minister of Transport Sindy Chikunga told the committee that three SA hotels based at SA airports had been recognised as among the top ten in the world, while six of South Africa’s airports were ranked among the top ten in Africa, and three rated in the top 30 worldwide.

Magadzi said she was not surprised by the results, especially following the unannounced visits the Committee had undertaken to OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports earlier in the year. In her view some of the issues that would need to be addressed, include the improvement of gantry gates at airports, especially during peak hours and standardising the service at the airports that are not operated by Acsa.