Being a present Radar ATC at FAJS I feel obliged to give my ten cents worth on this topic and try and clarify a few issues.
Firstly the speeds:
Remember that FAJS has traffic approaching from 7 different beacons or fixes in the TMA, either simultaneously or in specific combinations based mainly on the runway in use (21 or 03). Our airpace is not designed at present for the number of aircraft entering the TMA espcially during peak periods. The easiest way to explain it is to think of the drain hole in a bath...pull the plug and all the water converges on the middle and down the hole. The hole is FAJS...everything wants to land there. Cape Town mainly has traffic appoaching from the land side, very little from over the ocean so does not have this problem (I won't mention the fact that they handle less than half of the traffic we do...another issue altogether).
We have zero control over aircraft in foreign ajoining sectors (ie. FBSK;FVHA etc) and quite often don't even have flight plans on these aircraft even though they have been filed-welcome to Africa. As a result we have to control the "domestic traffic flow" ourselves. This is done primarily with speed control through area and approach which is I agree not the most efficient method but does prevent alot of holding in peak periods. It's not an exact science but considering the number of aircraft pushed through our airspace in a shift. We at Approach advise Area to give us a specific distance between aircraft from any specific direction (ie. From the South 15 Miles) This they achieve by either vectoring or speeding you up or slowing you down still into the gap where you are needed. Once in the "gap" your speed may be adjusted to keep you in that position. On entering the TMA I now need to sequence you into all of the traffic approaching from the North and East which Area have spaced to the best of their ability, hence the speed change or "vector for spacing". For this to work optimally your height needs to be right or else extra track miles required then yet another vector, which affects the others in the line. Help us bus divers by getting down early!!!
In the States its a case of speed up and slow down up to 6 times once on the ILS...a stage we haven't reached yet and something I can guarantee if we did an equally long topic would be started on this forum!!!
As for the landing Runway the book says Rwy 03R/21L. Have a go-around whilst landing traffic on 03L and we're suspended until the powers that be finish their investigation (which for the record is not the case with all the traffic in FACT-training traffic may be sent around by the ATC without any further enquiries giving their Tower controller alot more leeway without putting his licence on the line!!!) We try and land as much on 03L as we can...but can you blame the Twr ATC for not being willing to take that chance.
As for GFJ maybe you should restrict your comments to those involving FACT and leave the moving serious volumes of traffic to us at FAJS. Although a few of your points may be valid many of them are WAY out of line. When was the last time you moved over 70 aircraft an hour through your sector. Remember which centre in SA is earing over half of this companies revenue. Try speaking to your fellow ATC's at FAJS and find out the problems from them personally before trying to educate us with your "lessons"
