Second SAA Employee at OR Tambo in Court for Extortion

For the second time in two months an employee of South African Airways based at OR Tambo International Airport has been arrested for extorting money from a foreign national who was denied entry into the country due to invalid papers.

Gloria Ntombi Sidumo (42), an SAA employee, was arrested together with a security officer Themba Lekgwareng (38). The two have appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday after they were charged with two counts of extortion by the South African Police Service task team of detectives that is looking into criminality and corruption at the airport.

The two are alleged to have demanded money from the complainant whose papers were invalid, even though she had a return ticket to her country. The complainant allegedly paid Sidumo US$100 (about R1500).

Sidumo and Lekgwareng have been granted R2,000 bail each and are expected back in court early next month.

Just last month the same team of police officers arrested another SAA employee for aiding and abetting three illegal Pakistani immigrants enter the country even though their paperwork was not in order. The employee, Jules Musakale, was also charged for being in possession of fraudulent passports. He is also out on R2,000 bail.