Fully agree with the check in situation in JNB. It is a madhouse! I have to take at least an hour to mentally prepare myself for the ordeal before actually checking in.
Y check in is just undoable.

Funny story, a few years ago my mother and I flew down to JNB at the last minute for my sister's wedding. I actually decided to go a few days after my mom bought her ticket so of course there was no availability with her flights (all in Y). She was flying ATL - JNB with DL and I was doing SEA - JNB with AF. Anyway, she broke her foot the night before the wedding. What an ordeal trying to get her checked in at JNB at 17:00!! I had her sit down somewhere with our luggage so I can go get the pre-arranged weelchair. The agent kept on directing me to the check in kiosk to check in until I practically had to yell at him that I did not want to check in yet.

By the time I got my poor mother to the front of the line, an hour had passed already and I told the agent to check in my mother first because her flight was leaving in less than an hour and she still had struggle through the crowds and through exit control with the darn weelchair. The agent couldn't comprehend that we were not travelling together and ended up cheking my bag under my mom's name and vice versa. Finally I told him he needed some help. He promptly got up, put all of our bags down on the floor in between two desks and left. I guess a manager came out, profusely apologized, got us sorted out in no time whatsoever and a porter showed up to whisk my mother away (made it to the gate just in time). When the manager finished checking me in he again apologized and handed me an invitation to the lounge.

I too found the lounge very lacking and the plastic seats were odd, to say the least.

Ah, good ole' Jo'burg. Everytime I transit through their something like this happens.

In hindsight it reminds me more of a Monty Python scene than anything else. lol.