Akani Simbine laments after falling victim to constant theft in South African airport
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 08.10.24. | 15:34
Simbine revealed that his luggage was broken into, with several personal items stolen as he travelled through the airport
South African sprint sensation Akani Simbine has voiced his frustration over ongoing issues with theft at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
Simbine revealed that his luggage was broken into, with several personal items stolen as he travelled through the airport.
Disturbingly, he noted that this is not an isolated incident, as he has faced similar occurrences multiple times in the past. This latest incident is part of a series of thefts he has experienced at the airport, leading him to demand immediate action from airport authorities.
He expressed his frustration on social media, lamenting over the financial and emotional toll of the repeated violations.
“I can’t keep having to deal with having my bags broken each time I fly in or out of South Africa and my personal items stolen by your employees the whole time. This is too much now, and it’s a constant thing,” he started.
He continued: “It’s costing me to replace things, and just the fact that my personal bag has been invaded is just wrong! Sort this out please!”
In their response, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) apologized and assured Simbine they would support the investigation.
They encouraged Simbine to report the incident to the airline, which works directly with baggage handling companies, assuring him of full cooperation during the investigation.
“Good evening Akani, thank you for reaching out to us and we are sorry to hear about this unpleasant experience. Have you reported this to the airline? If you have already done so, please send us your case file number and baggage tag via direct message so we can follow up with the airline's baggage handling agent.
It's important to note that airlines have direct service level agreements with baggage handling companies, such as Nas Colossal and Menzies. Additionally, the airline is responsible for passengers' luggage from check-in until baggage collection as part of their service level agreement with passengers.
Rest assured that ACSA will fully cooperate with the relevant airline during the investigation processes. Regards, ZD,” ACSA apologized.
The issue comes shortly after he competed in the 2024 Wanda Diamond League Finals in Brussels, where he finished fifth in the men’s 100m event in the race won by Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake.
Before competing in Brussels, Simbine had narrowly missed out on an Olympic podium finish in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics. He finished in fourth position after clocking 9.93 seconds behind Fred Kerley’s 9.81 seconds.
He set a new national record with a 9.82-second finish during the Tokyo Olympics semifinals and went on to anchor the South African men’s 4x100m relay team to a historic silver medal, clocking 37.50 seconds, less than a second away from gold.
