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The Economic Freedom Fighters welcomes the new Leadership of SAA, particularly the Board and New Chief Executive Officer, Vuyani Jarana.

The EFF further calls on all South Africans to support SAA and Mango as State Owned Companies that are being uncaptured from the mediocrity and incompetence of Dudu Myeni as Chairperson for the past 8 years.

Consistent with what was discussed and resolved in the Parliament Standing Committee on Finance, the following features should define SAA in the recovery from the financial mess caused by its recently outgone leadership:

a) Detailed SAA Turnaround strategy and plans should not be presented in public because that will give its competitors market sensitive inside information, and therefore undermine all efforts for genuine recovery.

b) All SAA Operations outside South Africa should be led by competent South African citizens and they should be employed according to South African laws.

c) All vacancies in the Airline should be filled as a matter of urgency and those who will be employed must be competent individuals.

d) SAA should disassociate from all Guptas deals and proposals, including all their Newspapers subscriptions.

e) SAA should embrace its South Africanness and should promote the usage of South African languages on board.

f) SAA should explore other revenue streams, particularly advertising and marketing to its 10.1 million passengers per year.

g) SAA should adopt a transformative policy which will make sure that all suppliers of SAA reflect the racial and gender demographics of South Africa, and this should be preceded by profiling all the Suppliers in the SAA database.

h) Parliament and all government departments and entities are encouraged to use and prioritize SAA and Mango for their domestic and international travels.

I) Politicians who don’t know anything about airlines and aviation should stop interfering in the running of SAA, and the government should fully pay for the shortfalls caused as a result of political routes.

The EFF believes that a turn around strategy that is anchored by these key pillars will lead to the ultimate recovery of the Airline. SAA and all other State Owned Companies should never be a burden to the fiscus, and when those who are leading it present credible recovery systems and programs, all South Africans should support them.

The EFF will be closely monitoring the progress of SAA and despite its current confidence in the leadership of SAA, will robustly point to weaknesses and misdirection whenever such occurs. The EFF will closely monitor all SOCs because these should drive transformation and real economic change that will empower our people.

Issued by EFF