March April 2020 Luggage Left Behind Details

20 April 2020 Note: The South Africa lockdown was extended through April--and could be extended longer as needed. Extra bags from missionaries traveling home from many African countries were left behind. It may take quite a while to sort it all out and get bags delivered.


AFRICA SOUTHEAST AREA

Private Bag X3009 Houghton 2041 South Africa 5a Jubilee Street Telephone: (011) 645-1500 Facsimile: (011) 645-1499 

27 March 2020


Dear Mission Presidents, Missionaries and Parents

LUGGAGE LEFT BEHIND

During the evacuation of missionaries from the Africa Southeast Area many regional chartered flights transited through the Johannesburg International Airport.  Luggage was transferred onto the international chartered flight to Salt Lake City.

Unfortunately, during this mass evacuation three things happened:

i. In some instances too many bags were brought to the airports,
ii. Some bags were overweight,
iii. Some bags could not be loaded directly onto their connecting flights and remained behind.

This has led to us having close to 350 bags brought back from the Johannesburg airport to the Johannesburg Area Office, plus just over 70 bags from the Bulawayo Zimbabwe airport to the Bulawayo Mission Office.

These bags are all currently held in storage and are safe.

Due to the mandatory 21-day lockdown of South Africa through April 16; we are not in a position to move or transport any luggage. We will however continue to work on a solution to cargo freight the bags back to the USA as soon as it is possible. 


Kindest regards,

Francois Nortje 
Support Services Manager
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Africa Southeast Area Administration Offic
5A Jubilee Road | Parktown | Johannesburg, 2193 Private Bag X3009 | Houghton | 2041
Office: (27) 11 645 1428 | Mobile: (27) 83 286 0960
nortjef@churchofjesuschrist.org