SAA’s Myeni a no-show for Parliament grilling

·20 Sep 2016

SAA chairperson Dudu Myeni failed to turn up for a Parliamentary meeting in which she was to face questions by the DA over a myriad of issues plaguing the airline.

According to DA deputy spokesman on finance, Alf Lees, Myeni didn’t show for the Parliament’s standing committee on finance because she was at a doctor’s appointment.

Lees and the DA had made it clear that Myeni would be facing a roasting over the SAA’s latest financial results and a myriad of other issues plaguing the airline.

Myeni was facing questions relating to irregular expenditure, alleged anti-competitive behaviour, mismanagement, and tender irregularities.

Lees was planning on directing the following questions, among others, to Myeni:

What is SAA’s operational plan in order to avoid further government guarantees?
When will SAA be able to release the government from the R19 billion government guarantees given to SAA?
Will you (Myeni) agree to cease to act as both board chair as well as de facto CEO as instructed by Minister Pravin Gordhan?
What bodyguard services do you (Myeni) enjoy at SAA’s expense?

Adding further fuel to the flames, Lees also revealed that SAA’s financial performance was even worse than previously reported – adding another R1 billion loss into the mix for the 2014/15 financial year.

Finance minister Pravin Gordhan last week tables a preliminary financial report for SAA showing a R4.64 billion loss for the airline in 2014/15.

With the further loss edded, the total loss for SA now stands at now R5.64 billion.

The airline has been making a loss since 2012, with the last available results, from 2013/14 showing the group post a loss of R2.59 billion. The airline has accrued losses of over R18 billion over the past 10 years.