OR Tambo International Airport has been grappling with power cuts, just days before heads of state and other international guests are due to land in Johannesburg for the G20 Leaders’ Summit. The outages have raised concerns about airport operations ahead of the high profile event.
The airport has experienced intermittent power failures since last week, with some lasting up to five hours at a time. Sources mentioned that a complete blackout hit Terminal A’s duty-free section during one of the disruptions, causing temporary inconveniences for travellers and staff.
Airport now on generator power
Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) spokesperson Ofentse Dijoe told Sunday World that the airport is currently operating on generator power following an “Eskom supply failure” affecting Kempton Park and its surrounding areas. However, the backup system does not supply electricity to retail areas. And some lounges remain without power unless they have their own generators.
“Backup systems activated within seconds, and essential operations remain stable. Travellers weren’t affected, escalators needed a safety reset of 10–15 minutes. Check-in, baggage carousels, passenger loading bridges, and fuelling were not impacted,” Dijoe said.
He added that “operations across the airport are stable, and we continue to monitor the situation closely”.
Eskom Operations and Maintenance Manager Daphne Mokwena explained that the airport is not under Eskom’s jurisdiction. She said she was, however, aware of the City of Ekurhuleni addressing the issue.
“The disruptions experienced since Sunday originated on the municipality’s side. We have since been informed that the matter has been resolved. And today the municipality was normalising its network following the repairs carried out on Sunday,” she said.
Weather, infrastructure damage to blame
City spokesperson Zweli Dlamini attributed the power outages to adverse weather conditions and infrastructure damage. Preliminary investigations indicated technical faults. These for now are not linked to acts of sabotage.
“The system has been stabilised and contingency measures are in place,” Dlamini said. According to the city, the supply interruption was caused by a snapped guard wire. Officials decided to isolate the substation supplying the airport. This was to allow safe repairs to the damaged infrastructure.
The G20 Summit is scheduled to take place between the 22nd and 23d November. At least 16 world leaders are expected to attend. Airport officials have stressed that essential operations remain unaffected. They added that travellers should not experience major disruptions despite the recent outages.
The summit will be monumental for South Africa as it will be the first time it is hosted on African soil.
