Acsa appoints Siphamandla Mthethwa as new CEO

The three-month search for a CEO by Airports Company SA (Acsa) has ended, with the state-owned airport operator announcing the appointment of Siphamandla Mthethwa to the top job.

Acsa is a 74.6%-government-owned entity that manages SA’s nine largest airports, including OR Tambo International in Gauteng, Cape Town International in the Western Cape, and King Shaka International Airport in KwaZulu-Natal.

Acsa announced on Friday the appointment of Mthethwa as CEO, effective from 1 November 2026. Mthethwa’s appointment was approved by cabinet on 23 September.

Acsa has been without a permanent CEO since 30 June 2026, when the fixed-term tenure of Mpumi Mpofu (erstwhile CEO) came to an end. Since then, Charles Shilowa has served as the acting CEO.

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Read: Acsa begins CEO transition as Mpumi Mpofu exits in June

Mthethwa is no stranger to Acsa and its operations. Mthethwa, a qualified chartered accountant, previously served as Acsa’s chief financial officer and returns to the company after an absence of nearly three years.

He first joined Acsa on 1 May 2020 during the height of Covid-19 lockdowns that grounded planes and shuttered airport operations, negatively impacting the company’s financial situation. Acsa board chair Irvin Phenyane praised Mthethwa for helping the company navigate through a difficult period.

Before joining Acsa, Mthethwa held senior financial leadership positions across telecommunications, banking and mining.

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During a press briefing announcing Mthethwa’s appointment, Phenyane said on his to-do list that the new CEO will be executing Acsa’s board-approved capital expenditure programme. During its financial results presentation in early September, Acsa revealed an immediate R15 billion capital expenditure plan to be rolled out from 2027 to 2029, potentially lifting this expenditure to R37 billion by 2031.

Read: Acsa’s R21bn capital programme puts infrastructure back in focus

Acsa will spend this money on, among other projects, modernising airport infrastructure and services – such as fixing runways at airports, installing jet fuel pipelines, and deploying technology that enhances airport security and scans luggage quickly to reduce queues at security checkpoints.

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