Abstract
M.Comm.
The present site of Rand Airport was first suggested by Major Allister Miller in 1917
while he was engaged in recruiting young South Africans for the Royal Air Force.
Major Miller actually landed on the Germiston golf course (adjacent to Rand Airport) because there was no aerodrome available for his landing. In his opinion the area was ideal because the adjoining lake would be "like a guiding star to aviators by day as well as by night".
Here, however, the matter rested and it was not until 1928 that the first steps were
taken to acquire land for an aerodrome. In February 1929 a tripartite agreement was signed between the Germiston Town Council, the Elandsfontein Estate Company and Rand Refinery as joint owners of what was then known as the Germiston Public Aerodrome. The aerodrome was officially opened on 24 August 1929, and two days later the first postal service was inaugurated by Union Airways, now South African Airways. In the mean time Germiston negotiated successfully with its two partners for sole and complete control of the aerodrome.
In late 1930 Johannesburg was unable to find a suitable site for an airport of their own and
negotiated with Germiston to become an equal partner. On 14 November 1930 at a joint
meeting of representatives of the two municipalities Councillor D.F. Corlett of the
Johannesburg City Council was elected as Chairman for the ensuing years of what was to be known as the "Rand Airport Joint Committee".
Rand Airport became the major international airport of South Africa and on 21December 1931 the first Imperial Airways air mail arrived from London. This opportunity was used to stage the official opening of Rand Airport by His Excellency, the Governor General, the Earl of Clarendon. The trip from London took eleven days at a cruising speed of 75 miles per hour (120 km per hour), a far cry from what it takes today.
In February 1932 the first full-time manager Captain Roy Makepeace was appointed
by the joint Councils. Germiston found it impossible to meet the increased expenditure,
which was envisaged to improve Rand Airport; in 1944 transfer was effected and the
Johannesburg City Council took over sole ownership of Rand Airport. When the Second World War broke out on 3 September 1939 it was expected that Rand Airport would have to play its part. On 19 February 1940 the airport was handed over completely to the Defence Force and all commercial air services were suspended.
The war helped to develop the airport with some 15 additional hangars being built, the largest being built for Field Marshal Smuts's four-engined Avro York aircraft.
After the war, it became obvious that the new generation aircraft would require larger
airfields and Rand's future was in doubt. After a few lean years the airport became a major
player in the aircraft industry and by 1975 it was the busiest airport in the Southern
Hemisphere, with 133 135 recorded aircraft movements. Unfortunately, when Jan Smuts and Lanseria airports came on stream, aircraft movements started to drop, and by 1985 questions were again being asked as to whether Rand Airport had a future. Fortunately, Johannesburg City Council had the vision to see the need and potential for Rand Airport to, in the future, again play a major role in air transportation.
Plans were drawn up and implemented to upgrade and maintain the character of their very
valuable asset and by the end of 1993 Rand Airport was once again the busiest airport in
South Africa, catering mainly for general aviation aircraft, with 88 234 recorded aircraft
movements. Today Rand Airport has approximately 100 000 aircraft movements and
approximately 52 000 passengers using its facilities each year. With the aid of a strategic
marketing plan, this figure could be increased beyond the 1975 peak figure.
The organisational structure of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council (GJMC)
inclusive of Rand Airport, has been reviewed since August 1990 with a view to improve
efficiency and effectiveness. The reorganisation was necessitated as a result of a lack of
strategic management and planning and from the context of new demands made by a rapidly changing environment.
The reorganisation resulted in the replacement of all top and middle management positions throughout the GJMC. The focus of this new flat structure moved from a production-oriented management approach to cost-effectiveness, greater autonomy and more streamlined.