GEORGE NEWS - Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) is an exception to the rule in state enterprises - it is running at a profit. It earned R2-billion for the state coffers, of which R14-million was for IT related business.
This is according to Sello Mmakau, the first person to be appointed Acsa Group's Chief Information Officer (CIO) (in 2014), who was a guest speaker at the George Business Chamber's (GBC) breakfast meeting on Friday.
Mmakau said Acsa is at the forefront of advanced digital technology and this has not gone unnoticed. The Integrated Risk Management South Africa 2017 Industry Awards placed O.R. Tambo International Airport first in the Transport & Logistics category and Cape Town third in the Best Airports: 10-20 million passengers per year category.
Self-check-in
Mmakau detailed all the modern facilities that have been implemented at the airports to ensure that they are on par with airports worldwide. The self-check-in systems for passports and luggage are up and running smoothly.
However, the self-check-in at the arrivals hall will take another 2 years to implement. There are electronic info-service counters where the service provider's face lights up on the computer screen and a help desk for Acsa employees has been introduced as part of the innovative digitalisation. An unattended bag will be picked up, as well as any unusual movements by passengers. The flight display information system conforms to the latest in technology.
Cyber hacking
Vuyokazi Njikelane, Acsa's second guest speaker, warned businesspeople to protect themselves against confidence tricksters and guard their personal information like gold. Watch out for social engineering, which is basically hacking without a code. The best firewalls cannot protect you if you reveal your password and other personal information to people.
"Acsa is constantly trying to protect itself against cyber attacks. Make your passwords more complex and use anti-hacking programmes to safeguard your systems," was Njikelane's advice.
At George Business Chamber's breakfast, from left: GBC manager Ingrid Cronjé, GBC secretary Mary-Ann Loose, Acsa George manager Brenda Vorster, GBC chairman dr Willie Cilliers and master of ceremonies Morné Pietersen.
George Business Chamber Service Excellence awards were handed over to two Acsa employees, Michael Emslie (second right) and Mark Perrins (second left) for having apprehended a thief who stole luggage that was left unattended. The award was handed over by Sanlam's Koos du Plessis. On the right is Acsa George manager Brenda Vorster.
'We bring you the latest George, Garden Route news'
