One lesson to come out from this for airports is that runway / movement area inspections by ARFF are no good for electrical or pavement inspections - IMHO.
This is not to detract from the valuable job that ARFF do in emergency responses, nor the value of their routine inspections. But this accident has shown, like other accidents I know of, that such "drive-by" inspections are limited. Their frame of reference is to detect gross deficiencies such as wheels, flaps, cargo doors, etc., lying on the runway, or other obstacles such as dead animals. That is as far as the ARFF are trained to do, and as much as can be expected from their inspection.
They cannot detect pavement problems such as ruts, failures or slab breakage, and nor do they detect electrical/lighting problems. The report makes it clear that at JNB they missed the unserviceable sign and the many non-functioning taxiway lights – in section 1.11.5.2. I contend that for an airport to rely on ARFF to do the inspection tasks of pavement engineers or airport electricians is delusional, because ARFF are not trained in those tasks. What an airport must have is a routine inspection programme by the senior groundsman / technical officer for pavements, and by the electrician for lighting, signs, PAPIs etc. That is the ONLY way that pavement and lighting deficiencies can be assured of being detected.
Section 1.17.3.4 of the report outlines the ACSA Runway and Taxiway Inspections Procedures, which looks good on paper (and I am not being sarcastic). This includes a “Maintenance or Engineering representative to be in the inspection team”; and at ACSA International Airports “the electrician on duty is required to complete an inspection focusing on the serviceability of lights during the course of the day or night”. But it didn’t work; report section 2.1.21.4 refers to “daily runway and taxiway daily inspection sheets and maintenance checklists as proof of actions taken”. It looks good. But the reality is all that got generated were bits of paper with ticks on them. The defective lighting and signage still existed and they were a significant factor in this accident.
I don’t want to single out JNB or ACSA here; I have seen exactly the same problem at other airports in South Africa and I have seen it in other countries. It is a system-wide problem, and the only solution is separate out the routine “drive the runway” inspection from the pavement + electrical technical inspections.