Eagle-eyed visitors of South Africa’s airports may have noticed plenty of dust-covered cars in the parking lots that look as if they’ve been there for weeks, even months.
In most cases they have been there for an extended period, being abandoned by their owners and left to be the responsibility of the airports where they are parked.
It’s a big issue in airports around the country.
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) revealed that just at the Cape Town International Airport alone, there are approximately 30 abandoned cars it must take care of, and at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo, there are between 40 and 50 of these vehicles.
ACSA’s hands are tied
Mpho Maluleka, key account manager of ground transport at ACSA, explained to CapeTalk that many abandoned cars end up at airports as owners simply decide not to come back to South Africa after leaving the country.
Sometimes the vehicles are also stolen and left at the airport while the thieves lie low for a few weeks.
“We actually don’t have a time limit for vehicles to park in our space, because the longer the car is parked, the more revenue we make, so we are not that strict when it comes to parking,” said Maluleka.
“We only see the vehicle after some time, that this looks like it is abandoned. The way you saw it, that is the way we also see it.”
If airport employees see such a car, they report it to the parking office which in turn sends the details of the vehicle to the South African Police, traffic authorities, as well as several banks to inquire if they know who the owner is and where they might be, or if it’s a wanted vehicle implicated in a crime.
If the car is still being financed but has outstanding payments, the bank retains ownership rights to it and can collect it should it want to.
In other cases, the airport is able to get in touch with the owner who will clarify whether they intend to come back to South Africa or not, and in the latter scenario, the two parties will discuss what happens to the car.
If the owner remains untraceable and the bank does not have any entitlement to the vehicle, and if it’s now wanted by the authorities, it stays put.
Maluleka explained that ACSA does not currently have any liberties to remove or claim a vehicle as its own regardless of how long it’s been on the premises.
“As ACSA we do not have a right to possess or take this vehicle, so for now, we are still busy drafting a policy that will advise us as to where are we going to take them to, or what are we going to do with them,” said Maluleka.
As a result, he said there have been cars standing at ACSA airports unmoved since as far back as 2018.
It remains a tricky situation, as not all the vehicles are actually abandoned.
Maluleka said there have been scenarios where a car stood in a parking garage for over a year before the owner returned to the country, hence, not every dust-covered, flat-tyred vehicle you see at the airport is abandoned.
This comes with its own issues as the owner then needs assistance with charging the battery or jumpstarting the vehicle, as well as inflating the tyres.
They are usually on the hook for a massive parking ticket bill, too, which they sometimes can’t afford.
One of these individuals has been charged close to R80,000, said Maluleka, and he consequently had to enter into a debt repayment agreement with ACSA in order for his car to be released.
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