South Africa’s R20 billion airport plan and the man who plans to lead it

The Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has appointed the company’s former CFO, Siphamandla Mthethwa, as the man to help implement its medium- and long-term plans worth over R20 billion.

Once he takes the reins from Acting CEO Charles Shilowa on 1 November, ACSA will be well into its current strategic cycle, with an eye on the company’s Vision 2030 ambitions.

To achieve this vision, the Airports Company has plans to invest R21.7 billion over the next five years to modernise, upgrade, and expand airport infrastructure across South Africa.

Within this pipeline, R19.6 billion in capital expenditure is programmed specifically for the 2026/27 to 2028/29 period.

ACSA’s forward capital development plan focuses on key gateway hubs, regional airports, and commercial precincts, including South Africa’s busiest airports.

Its flagship project is the expansion of the midfield cargo precinct at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA), which will expand cargo handling capacity by 750,000 tons per year to 1.2 million metric tons by 2030.

ACSA said this will enable more integrated cargo flows between ports and airports, customs-linked processes, temperature-controlled facilities, express courier infrastructure and dedicated e-commerce handling.

At Cape Town International Airport, domestic arrivals and departures areas will be expanded and upgraded, supported by additional baggage-handling capacity and enhanced retail offerings.

According to its annual report, other planned interventions include terminal expansion at the Chief Dawid Stuurman and George Airports.

ACSA’s plans include hotel development and future terminal expansion at King Shaka International Airport, as well as passenger facility upgrades at the King Phalo Airport.

Other masterplan upgrades were submitted for approval during 2026/27, including at the Bram Fischer, Kimberley and Upington airports, many of which include aerotropolis and airport city plans.

According to ACSA, this concept aims to transform airports into vibrant economic zones, driving industrial growth, job creation and small-business empowerment.

These economic zones will be developed around key airports to optimise airport functionality but support both local and global economic activities.

The new man in charge of South Africa’s airports

ACSA announced the appointment of Siphamandla Mthethwa on the JSE Stock Exchange News Service (SENS), adding that he will also serve as an Executive Director of the Airports Company.

The incoming CEO is a qualified chartered accountant who graduated from the University of Zululand in 1995 with a BCom in Accounting and Finance.

Mthethwa completed his honours degree at the University of South Africa (Unisa) as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).

In 2014, he completed a Strategic Finance Leadership Program at Stanford University, and in 2018 completed an Advanced Management Program in Organisational Leadership at the Harvard Business School.

Mthethwa is also a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience, including a stint as ACSA’s CFO.

He has also held key leadership roles at several major state-owned enterprises across the aviation, energy, mining, telecommunications, utilities and financial services sectors.

Alongside his time at ACSA, Mthethwa also served in leadership roles at the Central Energy Fund (CEF) and the African Exploration, Mining and Finance Corporation.

“He served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of Airports Company South Africa from 2020 to 2023, where he provided strategic financial leadership for South Africa’s network of nine major airports,” said ACSA.

“During his tenure, he led a successful R6 billion funding programme, oversaw the implementation of the company’s financial recovery strategy during the COVID-19 period, and facilitated the issuance of a R1.8 billion bond without a government guarantee.”

The ACSA board extended its best wishes to Mthethwa and expressed appreciation to the outgoing Acting CEO, Charles Shilowa, whose tenure comes to an end on 1 November 2026.