Johannesburg – About 200 South Africans who were on a flight from Washington DC in the US on Sunday night, and arrived at OR Tambo International on Monday afternoon, have been stuck on the airport’s tarmac with nowhere to go.
The group is part of the coronavirus repatriation process but has not been given any clarity on what should happen next.
Some of the people say they landed at 17:00 and have been kept in minibusses with their belongings and haven’t been given clarity on where they will be taken in order to carry out their 14 days of quarantine.
Surfing champion Jordy Smith is among the passengers with his wife and he says: “There was no confirmation about getting on to the actual flight. The department and the SAA didn’t actually issue tickets – so no one knew who was on the plane and who wasn’t.”
Smith added that officials on the ground seemed like they didn’t know what was happening and the passengers were informed to hang tight while the matter is resolved.
Other passengers said they were concerned about where the group would be taken, after hearing reports of housing arrangements that were up to standard made for those in quarantine.
The spokesperson of the Minister of Public Works Zara Nicholson said the department was aware of the situation at the airport, but there were reasons for it.
