British Airways Pilot Stabbed, Held at Gunpoint During Layover in South Africa

Not surprised. When I returned to South Africa in 2017 for the first time in 40 years security was a major issue everywhere. We were met at the jetway in Joburg as we deplaned by someone from our tour operator who walked us through immigration and helped retrieve our luggage. He walked us to the parking lot where he handed us off to our driver. Our flight was delayed and arrived at around 11 PM. The driver drove us to our hotel with no stops on the way at traffic lights because of the risk of carjackings. We didn't leave the hotel grounds except in the company of my cousin and his wife who took us to a safe area for lunch. At the end of our visit we stayed in Cape Town for a few nights. The hotel was very nice but we asked if there was a restaurant nearby that we could visit for dinner. The staff walked us to a locked gate on the property where a staff member from the restaurant across the street met us and walked us to the establishment. When we were done the restaurant called ahead and the process was reversed to get back into our hotel. The only time we were allowed to wander about on our own was at the Victoria and Albert Waterfront during the day. We spent our last night in a hotel at Oliver Tambo Airport in Joburg before flying back. We watched the local news and learned that while we were incountry a tour group from the Netherlands that had been planning on spending several weeks in SA visiting the game reserves, etc., had their bus stopped on the way from the airport to their hotel by what appeared to be police. It was just a ruse. Armed men boarded the bus and took everything of value including passports. The Duch embassy and the SA tourism office worked to get them back home in a few days. Enjoy your vacation in South Africa.

It's south africa, nobody should be surprised. Scrape away the top 5% of the country and it's an impoverished hell hole.

I left about 12 years ago. I have duel nationality but would never go back even for an all expenses paid luxury holiday. It broke my heart to leave but I valued my life more than the sun and the scenery.

I recall staying at a luxurious Intercontinental hotel when in Nairobi. A beautiful city by day with well-dressed men, women, and children everywhere . . . but when after nightfall? After nightfall, hotel personnel would station armed guards on the roof, and also wrap the hotel's entrance door in chains. They would gladly unwrap the door if you wanted out, but all was a nightly ritual nonetheless.

Anyone surprised by this?

I never thought it is that dangerous. It's good to get some view about daily life in other countries. Thanks for the commenters to also further explain the situation, much appreciated.

None of the celebrities (Peter Gabriel call your office!) who advocated so passionately for ending Apartheid will be stepping up to take the blame for South Africa's descent into a violent tribal nightmare.

Law abiding and peaceful South Africans truly appreciate the way the rest of the world intervened in a sovereign and lawful country only to result in this bloody debacle. Thanks “free world” who are now showing nothing but a deafening silence at the daily atrocities in present day South Africa. What a bloody joke.

Gosh, imagine that. How unusual for Africa. Quick, send them a few million$ taxpayer dollars. 💸

I visited Guatemala in '69, and it was wide open. We were only told to avoid anything that looked like a demonstration. Main thing I liked were luxury hotel rooms for $3 a night (I stayed at the Ritz). Their coffee is great too; much milder. I even went to a wedding party at the Guat Club. Went to Antigua and thru an Army checkpoint enroute, but no problems.

Jo' berg was a dangerous city long before the fall of Apartheid, so a number of comments here lamenting "the past" are off-base relative to the context of this article. But the question is - is this a newsworthy story? The same could happen in so many cities around the world, not to speak of the daily mayhem of gun violence in the USA - it dwarfs any urban crime anywhere in the world.This comment is not intended as "what-aboutism" - rather it's just meant to situate this incident in a broader context of the kind of reality in which we live, sad to say.

This sounded like our visit last month to San Francisco in California USA. A descent into disarray. We knew about South Africa, but SFO is now off the list. Glorious pace to shit-hole in ten years flat.

It’s an avoidable situation that clearly requires the use of common sense and a clever thinking.
We don’t know much about the incident. It appears that the” captain was held at gun point and then stabbed ?”and apparently no shots were fired?
However the layover for crew members should be limited to rest within the scope of a security, safety , a secure area of the hotel and not to to put oneself in a dangerous environment and/ or situation.
Not only in South Africa. It’s been happening all over the world .There were many situations and stories of crew members being robbed, assaulted or even raped .
Do not be a victim partners , stay safe so you can fly back home in one piece.
“ please , prepare for take off “

thank god he didn't walk into a US school....

Everyone is over in the other thread debating global warming and maybe more of them should be focused on this.

You can always count on the FlightAware comments section to be full of racist drivel. Oh how surprising that you found going to SA so shocking for the first time since 1977. 😮 It seems like there was plenty of violence and crime then but it was just focused on people that didn’t look like you so you didn’t notice or care.

Prediction that New Zealand and Australia will go the same way given time.