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Watch: O.R. Tambo Airport security officers accepting bribe at passport verification checkpoint [video]
City Officials and businesses are clamping down on bribes over the holiday season.
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Passport controllers at O.R Tambo International Airport are in hot water after they were caught on camera taking a bribe at a verification checkpoint last week. The two Securitas employees will face disciplinary hearings on Thursday, 3 January.
When the video was first shared online, O.R Tambo thanked flyers for bringing the incident to their attention and added:
“We have escalated the investigation of the two security officers to their employer, Securitas Security Services. This is a company one of the 9 security companies contracted to airlines to conduct document verification.”
The employees were suspended
Airport management takes the exchange of bribes very seriously and are disappointed in the turn of events. They said in a statement that they’d “remain vigilant and continue to act decisively in dealing with crime,” and added:
“Over the past year, we saw a number of our own security staff perform incredibly well in interdicting drug smuggling and other crimes. It’s therefore upsetting to see the integrity of security employees – especially those employed by contracted security companies licensed to various stakeholders within the airport ecosystem – damaged by the actions of a selfish few.”
The two guards, aged 33 and 44, were suspended with immediate effect, according to the Tau Thekiso, the airport’s manager. He informed Securitas of the transgression and reminded them that “the airport expects it to maintain the standard of security across the various responsibilities set out in its licensing contract.”
Good day, thank you for bringing this to our attention, we have escalated the investigation of the two security officers to their employer, Securitas Security Services. This is a company one of the 9 security companies contracted to airlines to conduct document verification.
— ORTambo (@ortambo_int) December 29, 2018
Read – OR Tambo custom officers resist R400 000 bribe from suspicious traveller
That said, Bongiwe Pityi-Vokwana, the airports, general manager, told Times Live that the airline would carry the responsibility for the conduct of the service providers it contracts. Measures will be set in place to “mitigate against this sort of incident in future”, and the licensing conditions of the security company will be reviewed.
According to Home Affairs Minister Siyabonga Cwele, the matter is a point of concern that must be investigated:
“At the ports of entry, we work with intelligence services; we work with the police to also deal with such instances. If it is true, but I hope it’s not true, it will have to be investigated and dealt with.”
The video caused a media storm once it was shared online, and netizens have been sharing their own experiences. One user said on Twitter that they were forced to pay R50 even though they had “all documentation.” They explained:
“Unfortunately this is true, I’m shocked to see same thing happening to someone else, by the same lady! This happened to me in November, I had all documentation to permit me to travel, but they made my live [sic] a living hell while she pretended to help, ultimately taking 50 bucks off me.”
