It is incomprehensible that the hard-won steps towards saving South African Airways (SAA) can be so recklessly undermined by the proposal to move the embattled airline from the National Treasury to the transport ministry – a ministry that has so fouled up the e-toll saga, the Democratic Alliance said on Sunday.
“What makes such a proposal even worse is the news that disgraced Dudu Myeni has been appointed as a ‘special’ adviser to Transport Minister Joe Maswanganyi, a close ally of President Jacob Zuma,” DA spokesman Alf Lees said.
Despite any rules that may preclude her from interfering in SAA affairs, Myeni would likely ignore these and meddle in the affairs of the airline, he said.
The DA would now approach all South African banks owed the R13.8 billion SAA debt “guaranteed by the poor people of South Africa”.
“We will request that they immediately inform Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba that they will recall their loans to SAA with immediate effect should the proposal to move SAA away from National Treasury be effected and if there is any pressure put on the SAA board and CEO to run the airline as anything but a commercial enterprise,” Lees said.
Given the mess that SAA had become under the “rule” of Myeni, she surely should be ranked as the most unsuitable person to appoint as an aviation adviser.
Myeni’s removal as chairwoman of the SAA board, the appointment of a new board including an aviation expert, and most importantly, the appointment of experienced executives such as Vuyani Jarana and Peter Davies signalled the start of a process to attempt to save SAA and most of the more than 10,000 jobs.
This would be in vain if the airline was once again treated as a cadre enrichment vehicle and moved back under the influence of “corporate warlord Dudu Myeni”.
“South African banks must ensure that SAA is run on purely commercial lines. They cannot allow SAA to once again become Myeni’s plaything, as poor South Africans will suffer the effects of billions of rand in losses as vital services will be forfeited in order to fund the failing airline,” Lees said.
Earlier, the Sunday Times reported that only months after Myeni was removed as SAA board chairwoman following a string of scandals, she had landed a top job as an adviser to Maswanganyi.
The controversial appointment — which could see Myeni net more than R1 million a year — came as the government considered moving SAA from National Treasury to the transport department, the newspaper said.
Maswanganyi confirmed there was a national review underway to move SAA to his department. He also defended the appointment of Myeni, who is a friend of Zuma, saying she had been “highly recommended”, but would not say who.
“I needed someone with aviation experience… I appointed her as one of my advisers because as a minister I am allowed to appoint a maximum of three advisers without advertising the posts,” the Sunday Times reported Maswanganyi as having said.
– African News Agency
