Flying experience

As a young female traveling with my mother and baby sister I was ashamed at the disrespect and prejudice I witnessed against each one of us by the same customer services who are supposedly there to help.

On 11 December 2022 we were at the Cape Town International airport bright and early hoping to get through the trip with my little sister who has special needs smoothly, only to come across a gentleman by the name of Sihle Zitha who came with delay tactics which prevented us from boarding the flight. He was reluctant to check in our luggage to the point where we missed our flight. We had to find the funds to get ourselves home and console my little sister who was already unsettled by the strange surroundings.

Mr Zitha, from the moment we walked up to his station (Booth 103 Flysafair) stared at us idly as we gave our necessary documents. This went on for a time and he spoke to his colleagues and after several minutes of waiting for assistance he looked at our luggage and told us we were too late and should go to our gate where they would perhaps help us. When asking about our bags he said we should ask someone else.

We dragged my little sister and rushed her along to the gate and needless to say we were sent right back and told they don't know why we being sent to them for help. They then suggested that two of us fly and one stay behind which, with a baby, obviously wasn't an option.

We called on family to help get us home as we had used all we had to buy the previous set of tickets. Coincidentally, when attempting to check in baggage a second time we got to Mr. Zitha's station and I'll never forget the smirk on his face when he looked my mother in her eye, scoffed and said "Oh so you didn't make it?"

Giving him a pen and paper I asked him to write his name down and he refused. Several times he returned my paper attempting to pull the wool over our eyes and hoping we wouldn't take him to task which again showed his undermining of us as females. After asking a fifth time he wrote his first name, AGAIN, trying to fool us. I asked again for his surname and with frustration he wrote it down.

I watched my mother being disrespected, my sister being dragged around and our collective intelligence being disregarded. His day went on as we lost a bit of dignity and funds that we didn't even have.

Apart from our encounter with Mr Zitha, we commend the Captain of the flight boarded next who made my little sister feel extra special by giving her her wings. We salute Captain Yolandi du Toit.

The contrast between the lackof service at Cape Town International, and the kindness we were shown upon arrival at OR Tambo International Airport was truly shocking.