http://www.y2k.org.za/press/news/articles/990823.htm

23 August 1999

Taking off and Landing

The company controlling South Africa's major airports has a cautious but optimistic Y2K message for the 19 million passengers who pass through its facilities each year.

The Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA), which owns and/or manages the country's 10 major airports, reports that it is on track with its Y2K compliancy project and is now in the final contingency planning stage of its programme.

ACSA Y2K co-ordinator Francois Rossouw says the latest date for completion of the project, launched at the beginning of last year, is 15 October 1999.

As part if its contingency planning stage ACSA is conducting extensive workshopping sessions with all its stakeholders in readiness for the rollover to the new millennium at the end of this year, when the "Millennium Bug" is expected to disrupt the unprepared by causing computers and other date and time-sensitive equipment to malfunction after misinterpreting the date.

Programming space-saving in the past could lead unrectified equipment and devices to read two zeros in the date field as 1900, and not the year 2000.

Rossouw reports that "sufficient funds" have been budgeted by ACSA to tackle the Y2K phenomenon. The action plan formulated with the help of the project team is on schedule and a central Year 2000 project office has been established to implement its recommendations.

"ACSA has been described as a virtual organisation, which integrates and co-ordinates multiple activities of numerous role players, owning and/or managing the international airports at Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, as well as Port Elizabeth, East London, George, Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Pilansberg and Upington airports," says Rossouw.

"The co-operation of all suppliers and business partners is essential to successfully carry out ACSA's Year 2000 Project requirements."

Among the steps taken to achieve Y2K compliancy ACSA has commissioned consultants and its own IT subsidiary company OSI Airport Systems (OSIAS) to assist with the Year 2000 project. Independent Y2K projects are in place for air traffic control and navigation services, airlines, ramp handling and most concessionaires and lessees, with a liaison committee closely monitoring their progress on a regular basis.

ACSA has conducted stakeholder presentations and feedback sessions at its largest airports to update and co-ordinate activities with all its suppliers, business partners and stakeholders.

Cautions Rossouw: "Notwithstanding the aforementioned endeavours, it must be unequivocally stated that the resultant impact and potential disruptions of the Year 2000 date change, and the fact that it is an international problem, make it impossible for ACSA to make any warranties in this regard.

"We cannot, therefore, warrant or make any representations about Y2K compliance and the inherent risks attached thereto. As a result ACSA will not accept liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage, of whatsoever nature (consequential or otherwise), which any person or organisation may suffer or sustain, arising from or relating to Y2K non-compliance."

ACSA chief executive officer Dirk Ackerman says: "We at ACSA recognise the importance of addressing the Year 2000 issue. Air travel is one of the most critically important aspects of the modern world and as an airport authority we believe we have an important role to play in ensuring, as best as possible, a smooth transition to the new millennium.

"We are only one of many role players in an airport environment that can contribute to a successful transition. We encourage all stakeholders such as the airlines, air traffic control, in-flight caterers, fuel suppliers, ramp operators and concessionaires to make their contribution to a successful transition.

"We have appointed a team to address this issue, which covers a wide range of functionality within ACSA. In addition, we have engaged the services of a systems integration company to carry out much of the detailed project itself. External consultants, Deloitte and Touche, have also been engaged to overview the project.

"While we cannot assure you that everything will be 100 per cent, due to our massive reliance on other role players, we can assure you that we are taking all reasonable steps to avoid potential difficulties."

Last year, some 19-million passengers were handled by the company's airports in South Africa, and Ackerman expects that this figure will double over the next eight years.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 02, 1999

Answers

This is an example of a leper list in action. This is big. Yikes.

Cargill today announced that they would be ceasing trading operations with South Africa today:

TOKYO, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The Japanese unit of U.S.-based commodities giant Cargill Inc is studying potential problems related to the millennium computer bug, a company spokesman in Tokyo said on Thursday.

The Financial Times reported on Thursday that Cargill's South African subsidiary would halt entering into or executing trades in maize, oilseeds, wheat or any other commodities from December 15 to January 15 because of worries over the country's preparations for the millenium bug.

``We don't have such a plan at the moment,'' the spokesman in Japan said. He added the company was consulting with Japanese customers how to cope with possible external problems such as an electric power shutdown.

U.S. consultancy Gartner Group (NYSE:IT - news) put South Africa in a high risk category for possible interruption.

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-- Gordon (G_gecko_69@hotmail.com), September 02, 1999.

You can use the above link to get to the home page of South Africa's official Y2K site. There's lots of information, including news articles (government-selected, of course!). And here's a link ot Uganada's official site--very interesting and comprehensive:

http://www.y2kuganda.go.ug/july.htm

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 02, 1999.

Thanks a whole bunch, Ol' Git. I have a S. African neighbor who (I hope) will find this interesting.

Jeannie

-- jhollander (hollander@ij.net), September 02, 1999.