Joint Oversight Report of the Portfolio Committees on Tourism and Home Affairs to Cape Town International Airport on the state of readiness for 2010 FIFA World Cup, dated 1 June 2010

The Portfolio Committees on Tourism and Home Affairs, having undertaken the second phase of the joint oversight visit to Cape Town International Airport, on 2 February 2010, reports as follows:

1. Introduction and welcome

Mr Ricardo Abrams, Director: Department of Home Affairs welcomed the committees and provided an overview of the programme for that day. It was suggested and agreed that the committees undertake a walk-about at the airport before the presentations. Because the delegation was huge, it was split into two groups. Group one was led by the Chairperson of Home Affairs (Hon Martins), and Group two was led by the Chairperson of Tourism (Hon Gumede).

2. Objectives

The purpose of the visit was to check the state of readiness of the Cape Town International Airport in terms of processing visitors expected to arrive in South Africa between 11 June and 11 July 2010 for the FIFA World Cup. The committees, to undertake oversight, to:

· Ensure that tourism challenges are addressed.

· Check on the immigration infrastructure and state of preparedness of the Department of Home Affairs.

· Focus on the challenges faced by tourism and the way in which services to tourism can be improved at the customs and passport control centre at the Cape Town International Airport.

3. Composition of the delegation

The delegation comprised the following Members of Parliament (MPs):

Table 1: Members of the delegation

Political Party	Representative/s
African National Congress	Mr B.A Martins & Mr D.M Gumede (co-Leaders of the delegation); Ms. M.M Maunye; Ms. D.H Mathebe; Ms. P Petersen-Maduna; Ms X.C Makasi; Ms T.J Tshivhase and Mr B.Z Zulu
Democratic Alliances	Mr. M. Mnqasela, Mr. Ms J.F Terblache and Mr. G.R Krumbock
Inkatha Freedom Party	MS. C.N Zikalala; Ms H.N Makhuba
Congress of the People	Ms. M.A Njobe
Independent Democrats	Mr. JJ McGluwa
Freedom Front Plus	Dr C.P Mulder

4. Walk-about

During the walk-about, one of the immediate challenges observed was the limited signage for travellers. The central departure centre caters for both the domestic and international departures. The layout at the central departure centre is such that all the retail shops and South African Police (SAPS) are on the 3^rd Floor. The security check points are centralised. There is a centralised emergency centre which is coordinated by police and the airlines. Decisions taken are shared with other airports throughout the country.

The partition between the domestic and international departures is movable. Depending on the volume of travellers, the partition can be moved to accommodate the volume of travellers. The processing time is approximately 30 minutes. The building was commissioned on 7 November 2009 and can process 3,500 travellers per hour. The evacuation time is 20 minutes. The airport had conducted a dry run.

The departure counters at the immigration centre have been repositioned.

5. Background on Cape Town International Airport

Cape Town International Airport is the 2^nd biggest and busiest with an average of 5 000 in/out bound passengers per day. Traffic through the airport reflects over 60 000 aircraft ferrying over 6.7 million passengers in 2005. By 2015, 14 million passengers are expected to pass through Cape Town International Airport.

The airport was named Africa’s leading airport in the 2008 World Airport Awards, with OR Tambo International second, and Durban International third.

5.1 International Departures Terminal

A R120 million international departure terminal, opened in 2003, is capable of processing up to 1 300 passengers in peak hours, or a million passengers a year – three times the capacity of the old terminal. It has a total area of 21 000 square metres, including 2 360 metres of retail space.

5.2 International Arrival Terminal

A new international arrivals terminal, opened in 2001, has the capacity to process 950 arriving passengers per hour. It is well lit and spacious, providing convenient, efficient service to international passengers.

5.3 Central Terminal Building Expansion

The construction commenced in August 2006. The new central terminal building expansion was due to be complete and open in November 2009. The new multi-storey parkade is located near the international terminal. The massive road network upgrade is expected to be completed in March 2010. On completion, the total terminal will cover 110, 000 square metres and with a total project value at R1, 5 billion.

6. Presentation by the Department of Home Affairs

The new organisational structure of the Department of Home Affairs was approved in 2008. There were 56 immigrations officers, two chief immigration officers and two assistant directors were recruited in 2008. The approved posts are 142 and only 75 have been filled. The vacancy rate is high because some officials have resigned or were promoted. Two immigration officers were dismissed for fraud, with regards to amending sick leave periods and unauthorized leave. There are presently no corruption cases at the airport with regards to the Department of Home Affairs.

The passenger flow figures during 2009 is 505 704 arrivals for South Africans, 500 800 departures for South Africans and 217 292 arrivals for foreigners and 214 551 departures for foreigners. There are 14 international departure workstations and 18 international arrivals workstations.

The airport has a dedicated State Protocol Lounge for the duration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup event. There is also a Commercially Important Person (CIP) lounge for the clearance of the teams. Counters 16-18 have been dedicated to the FIFA accredited members.

The implementation of the Advanced Passenger Processing (APP) system started on 31 of August and 9 airlines have started using it. APP enables the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to process travellers before they board flights to South Africa, identify inadmissible travellers and advise airlines on appropriate intervention. In cooperation with the airlines, DHA will reduce administrative overheads associated with the imposing of fines on airlines.

Current challenges:

• Movement Control System (MCS) Transit Pax functionality.
• Fraudulent documents.
• There is no Inspectorate presence at the airport.

7. Presentation by Airport Company of South Africa (ACSA)

The construction of the New Central Terminal Building commenced in August 2006. The project is valued at R1, 5 billion. In the domestic wing, there are 120 check-in desks and 10 CUSS machines. There are also 6 new arrivals carousels and 11 security screening points, in addition to 8 new air bridges and bussing gates.

Departures would take place on the upper level from Central Terminal Building and arrivals will take place on the ground level. There is a domestic air bridge for the first time.

7.1 Anticipated Challenges

• Limited information available.
• Continuous peak operations on match days.
• General aviation volumes unknown.
• Insufficient parking for aircrafts.
• Land/air interface management.

7.2 Special 2010 Initiatives

• Additional temporary aircraft parking stand will be created.
• Additional temporary bus holding facilities will be created.
• Temporary staff facilities.
• Volunteer programmes with the City of Cape Town.

8. Presentation by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA)

The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) indicated in their presentation that they do not have information on possible disruptions linked to foreign terror. All people assisting in the 2010 FIFA World Cup have been vetted and only two have been denied.

Challenges that NIA would anticipate included the following:

• Corruption and documents integrity.
• Security in all areas required constant focus.
• Insufficient airside and cargo space.
• Possible targeting of customs and immigration officials by syndicates.
• Labour issues.
• Loitering and passengers targeting by criminals.

9. Presentation by South African Police Service (SAPS)

The submission of the South African Police Service indicates the service working towards the creation of a safe and secure environment through:

• Implementing uncompromising security measures and limiting the probability of critical incidents occurring, and if they do,
• Limiting the impact of such incidents through contingency planning by a multi-agency integrated approach by all relevant role players.

9.1 Command and Control

The input indicates that the Venue Operational Centre (VOC) will be fully operational on a 24-hour basis at Cape Town International Airport and will be the centre of command at the airport. The activity will address the execution of the arrival and departures of spectators, VIPs, VVIPs, teams and travellers during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

9.2 Members of the SAPS will be deployed at the following areas

The South African Police Service will be deployed in areas such as:

· Land side bus for team/members of protocol transport.

· Immigration Area: International Arrivals and Departures.

· Customs Area: International Arrivals; Aircraft: baggage.

· Aircraft: Passengers; Routes to and from the airport.

· Cargo: International Departures Control.

· Passport Control Centre.

· South African Police Service (SAPS) Camera/Observation Rooms.

The plan is to ensure the safety and sterility of the zones, with other role players.

10. Presentation by Department of Agriculture

A new dog unit has been operating at the airport since December 2008. The dog unit currently uses two sniffer dogs and during the World Cup, an additional two sniffer dogs are expected to assist. The dog unit officials are mainly used doing primary inspections with the help of sniffer dogs at the baggage carousel.

The Department has 14 staff and is in need of 17 staff for the World Cup.

Challenges:

The following challenges were noted:

· Communication breakdown between passengers and stakeholders.

· Safety.

· Office space.

11. Committees’ Observations

• The improvement of operational efficiencies at key ports of entry is critical for the hosting of a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup. The intended adherence to the target of 1.5 to 2 minutes processing time per traveller is not as yet realised.
• Proposals for amendments to the current operational practices approved in March 2008. This included a new shift roster system and other structural adjustments to operations. These must be speeded up as the improvements would impact on air, sea, and land ports of entry in preparation for 2010.
• The Law Enforcement Strategy needs to be synergised and provides a foundation for the implementation. The committees observed that the design in the immigration centre makes it difficult, if not impossible, for immigration officers to profile passengers as they come in.
• Staff shortages and the inability to fill posts due to the restructuring process: The inability to appoint officials in acting posts hampers service delivery. The Department of Home Affairs admitted that the recruitment process is slow and impacts negatively on service delivery.
• It has also been noted that the tourism signage was virtually non-existent in the transit area for transit passengers. This would be important to build the travel trades knowledge of South Africa as a leisure destination.
• The committees also observed that there was no information desk at the international arrivals to assist tourists. For some of the tourists, this could be their first visit to South Africa. Effective guidance was necessary to highlight the country as a leisure destination with an array of activities. The first impression the country created should last longer.
• The committees noted that the non-existent of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) counter at the international arrivals is a concern. While it is argued that marketing efforts should focus on the African markets, the importance of domestic markets must be regarded as an anchor to the sustainable tourism development strategy for South Africa.
• The committees were concerned that the State Protocol Lounge may not be able to accommodate high volumes of VIPs.
• Committees observed the non-availability of billboards at the international arrival and departure to leverage brand awareness of South Africa.

12. Recommendations

The committees recommend that:

• The Department of Home Affairs fills posts that are vacant.
• The Department of Tourism should be included in the Border Coordinating Committee (BCOCC).
• All stakeholders should be included when construction takes place at the airport.

13. Conclusion

It was confirmed that Cape Town International Airport would be ready for 2010 FIFA World Cup. However, the Integrated Bus Transit (IBT) would not be fully operational and it is the responsibility of the City of Cape Town to ensure the readiness of the IBT.