re: complaint about immigration officials
Travelling through Oliver Tambo in December was a bitter experience. What is going on? on the 3rd December 18.00hrs.
We were a family of 5 travelling with friends who were connecting onto the BA to London . Our flight was delayed and we had 40 minutes to get through transit( why we need our passports stamped I will never understand) and collect our boarding passes from the ticket offices before proceeding to the security check. I ran to the front of the queue and received permission for the gentleman in front of the queue explaining my situation. He was most kind and let us go through - On arriving at the desk I was scorned and laughed at by a lady immigration official who told me to get to the back of the queue. Once again I showed her the ticket and explained our situation. She shouted and told us all to proceed to the back. I was determined to get some assistance and requested that she please assist us. A neighboring official abruptly got out of his cubicle aggressively stormed toward us and Screamed and shouted at us as if wee had committed a crime. He said - "GET TO THE BACK OF THE QUEUE - DONT THINK THAT BECAUSE YOU DO THAT IN YOUR COUNTRY YOU CAN DO THAT HERE!" I was completely stunned - An Australian lady in the queue and an elderly Nigerian gentleman called and asked us please to go in front of them as they too were embarrassed at the way this officer was treating us. If this is the welcome into South Africa as a transit point - i shudder to think what its like when you are entering - Surely it is common sense to have a fast track or lane for business class travellers or under an hour connection queue without having to beg and be humiliated. Disgusted.
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