The Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) has announced that Siphamandla Mthethwa will be its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
In a statement on the JSE Stock Exchange News Service (SENS), ACSA informed noteholders that it is pleased to announce Mthethwa’s appointment, taking effect on 1 November 2026.
As a result of his appointment, Mthethwa will also serve as an Executive Director of the Airports Company of South Africa.
The new CEO is a qualified chartered accountant and a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience.
Mthethwa has held key leadership roles across the aviation, energy, mining, telecommunications, utilities and financial services sectors.
According to the Airports Company, he has served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of several major state-owned enterprises, including ACSA.
The incoming CEO has also had stints serving in those capacities at the Central Energy Fund (CEF) and the African Exploration, Mining and Finance Corporation.
“He has 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.”
While extending its best wishes and hopes for success in his new role to Mthethwa, the ACSA board expressed its appreciation to the current Acting CEO, Charles Shilowa.
The Board thanked Shilowa for his valued leadership and stewardship during his tenure, which will come to an end when Mthethwa steps into the position on 1 November.
Shilowa will also cease to be an Executive Director and a member of the company’s Social and Ethics Committee and Board Investment Committee.
Taking over at a turbulent time
The aviation sector in South Africa – its airports in particular – is experiencing some turbulence, with fuel shortages and staffing issues thrust into the foreground, which Mthethwa will have to take control of.
Last month, it came to light that South Africa’s airports face an acute shortage of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) and are operating at critical staffing levels as a result.
Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) revealed it faces critical staff shortages, as wealthy aviation hubs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia aggressively poach local talent.
“In the last 2 years, we’ve lost almost 20 to 30 controllers or air traffic service personnel to this area,” highlighted Josia Manyakoana, Chief Operations Officer at ATNS.
He added that the crisis is not exclusive to South Africa, with entities in Canada, Greece, the UAE, and Australia all struggling to maintain capacity.
As a result, OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA), South Africa’s busiest airport, is operating with a staff contingent way below the safety-recommended 80% threshold.
At the same time, Sasol announced that an unplanned stoppage at its Natref refinery curtailed jet-fuel supplies to the airport, prompting airlines to make contingency plans to avoid disruptions.
The company said an outage of a downstream unit has affected its ability to meet its full supply commitments for some fuel grades.
Despite these and other issues, South Africa’s aviation fraternity is moving forward with several key projects, including new airports and billions of rands’ worth of infrastructure upgrades at the nation’s biggest airports.
These include the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport, the Cape Town International Airport, OR Tambo International Airport, and the Bram Fischer International Airport in Bloemfontein.
Many of these have not received significant infrastructure upgrades in years, necessitating ACSA’s Terminal Capacity Optimisation Project, which aims to revitalise its facilities and ensure their long-term operational efficiency.
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