SACCUSA president slams OR Tambo immigration chaos after 2-hour queue

• Neil Diamond, president of the South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA, raised the alarm after arriving at OR Tambo International Airport to a major immigration crisis
• A power outage at Africa's busiest airport brought border management systems to a halt, trapping over 1,000 international passengers in queues
• Diamond, who regularly promotes South Africa to American investors and tourists, said the incident fell far short of world-class standards

A prominent South African business leader has spoken out after a chaotic immigration experience at OR Tambo International Airport left more than a thousand international travellers stranded in queues for over two hours.

Neil Diamond, president of the South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA (SACCUSA), shared his frustration on Facebook on 10 October 2026, following a 16-hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg. What he expected to be a straightforward arrival turned into a lengthy ordeal.

A power outage had knocked out OR Tambo's border management systems, slowing immigration processing to a near standstill. Flights arriving from the United States, Singapore, Namibia, and Zimbabwe all landed around the same time, flooding the terminal with hundreds of exhausted international visitors who had nowhere to go but wait.

OR Tambo's first impression problem

Diamond did not hold back. As someone who spends considerable time encouraging Americans and global travellers to visit, invest in, and trade with South Africa, he said the incident was a direct contradiction of everything he promotes abroad. He wrote:

"We cannot promote South Africa as a world-class destination while accepting anything less than world-class service at our international gateways."

He acknowledged that power failures and technical disruptions are not unique to South Africa, but argued that an airport of OR Tambo's size and international standing must have reliable backup systems and contingency plans in place. For many arriving visitors, he noted, the immigration hall is their very first experience of the country.

Despite his criticism, Diamond was clear that his support for South Africa remains firm. Adding that speaking out when the country falls short is itself a form of advocacy, he said:

"I remain one of South Africa's strongest advocates."

View the Facebook post below:

South Africans respond to the OR Tambo criticism

Reactions to Diamond's post were mixed, with many South Africans pushing back by pointing out that long immigration queues are a global problem:

Greg Castle said:

"Incredible how quickly some people automatically throw their handbags when there is an isolated issue in an SA airport, and yet it happens overseas all the time. European and US airports are a nightmare, constantly, and the UK airports frequently have system failures. Perhaps some perspective is called for here."

Natalie Marx Koekemoer shared:

"I traveled this year from OR Tambo to Schiphol Amsterdam. A breeze leaving and then a 3-hour wait at passport control Schiphol. These problems seem to crop up every now and then at all airports with too much human traffic arriving at once."

Bra Mdu Nxumalo wrote:

"But in most cases international processing normally takes 1hr30. I'm a tour operator who collects international tourists, which means it wasn't that bad."

Gus Dry noted:

"It sounds as if the generators failed to perform what they were installed to do. Because if in good working order, standby power should be less than a minute to switch on."

Job Zitha added:

"It's all about leadership, sir. The million-dollar question is do we have it in that particular space?"

Thami Moreko Makhehla responded:

"Neil, it happens everywhere in the world. Where some parts they don't even communicate or try to solve the problem as quick as ORT did. Let's try to push more positive posts, we are going through a lot at the moment."

More Briefly News stories on OR Tambo

• A South African medical graduate's emotional airport welcome after six years in China captivates thousands, showcasing family joy and dedication in a video.
• Local artist @unwokepope goes viral with a hilarious skit featuring Mel Viljoen confronting Bianca van Wyk at OR Tambo Airport amid Peet Viljoen's drama.
• SAPS police officers were able to seize 95kg of cocaine worth R28 million at OR Tambo International Airport, arriving on a cargo flight from Brazil.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:

Hot: