Travellers get a rude welcome in South Africa

South Africans are generally a welcoming bunch. The average Brit stepping off a flight from London can expect a warmer reception than tourists travelling in the other direction.

So the hordes shuffling up to the immigration desks at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International this week would have been rudely shaken from the torpor of their 12-hour flight to be greeted by electronic notice boards declaring: "Fuck you", the Afrikaans-language tabloid newspaper Die Son reported.


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It is true that anyone arriving at Johannesburg airport has long been met by a sign warning: "Enter at your own risk"", and those that fly from it often feel screwed.

Theft from luggage is so rampant that regular travellers pay R25 (£1.80) to have their bags shrink-wrapped in plastic to keep the looters at bay.


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Last week, a whole airline, Nationwide, was grounded over safety concerns. But no one has ever made their feelings quite so plain to the public.

The airport management is trying to track down the culprit. A spokeswoman, Nothemba Noruwane, said: "Many workers had access to the system and the matter is under investigation. Many workers' access to the system has been revoked."