Stranded on tarmac at OR Tambo after repatriation flight, surfer Jordy Smith speaks out

Well-known South African surfer Jordy Smith has detailed how he and his wife Lyndall were stranded on the tarmac at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport while waiting to be transported to a quarantine site. 

The couple was among South African citizens who were repatriated from the US and were to be accommodated at a nearby hotel.

Smith took to Instagram to share a picture of himself and Lyndall on the tarmac together with a video of parked minibus taxis in which they were due to be transported.

Some evacuees can be seen chatting while they waited for instructions from officials. 

According to eNCA, the accommodation facility which was supposed to house the group for 14 days cancelled its contract with the government, leaving them stranded for about five hours before an alternative arrangement was made. 

TimesLIVE reported that DA MP Madeleine Hicklin said public works minister Patricia de Lille had undertaken to resolve the matter with health minister Zweli Mkhize.