Theft at O.R Tambo an Epidemic Now
By Wanja Njuguna
If you are traveling to South Africa or through South
Africa's O.R Tambo International Airport, you might want to purchase a hard
suitcase now like I have shown on the link below and lock it up - not that it
will not be broken (it has for me and my sponsors had to refund) or lost but
its a harder job (they only broke all the locks but still could not cut
through) - its a hard job to open it up. Even wrapping these suitcases is not
helping any more. And do not leave valuables, new things in there - carry
those.
Theft there has become a crisis, an epidemic actually - at OR Tambo -
not forgetting when you alight, you might also be subject to robbery like some media friends of mine - Ezekiel Mutua and company experienced not too long ago when they were robbed
of all electronics right outside their hotel within the airport.
As I was coming back to work on Jan 15, 2014, when we arrived in
WHK, there were about 10 people whose suitcases had been torn apart -
literally. Today, February 11, 2014, our High Comm's wife, Anne Gitau got her suitcase back after
two days - with almost nothing inside except a few clothes - and guess what?
Someone else's stuff put in there too - pictures, biscuits, necklaces, scissors
- to give it weight I guess - the pictures belonged to an Asian. She had
wrapped it up - it was unwrapped.
There might also be an issue between Kenya and SA we don't
know about - more form SA's side as to Kenya, they do not have the same huddles
as Kenyans do to SA or through SA. Getting a transit visa through SA is another
nightmare these days. And yet, Kenya Airways still is unable to make direct
flights to WHK besides their negotiations with Air Namibia for almost two years
now.
Kenya Airways needs to reduce its travel rates so that, if
you are coming from Kenya, check with your agency on how you can use another
link - through Livingstone or Lusaka in Zambia, Luanda in Angola or Harare in
Zimbabwe and then connect to an Air Namibia. So, you need to check which days Air
Namibia goes to those two places - I doubt they have daily flights except for
Luanda - I think they have two flights to Luanda.
Hopefully, soon, KQ will have a break-through and fly to WHK
direct but between now and then, just find yourself another suitcase to get to
SA or if possible, another route to get here. Pathetic and so shameful. Reminds
me of Kenya, long time ago but that is now behind us, for good, I believe.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Browse/ID72/33009213/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CSports+and+leisure%7C33006346/c_2/2%7C33006346%7CBags,+luggage+and+travel%7C33008228/c_3/3%7Ccat_33008228%7CSuitcases%7C33009213.htm
