Parliament, Thursday, 16 August 2018 – The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) today held a hearing with the board and executive management of South African Airways (SAA) after meeting junior staff members from various departments within SAA in the past two days over several issues that have negatively impacted the entity.
Scopa is encouraged to note that the board and executive management of SAA is aware of the issues that are plaguing the entity which could contribute to a further decline of the airline. Scopa is also encouraged to learn that the board and management have formed a forensic investigative team and are in a process of dealing with all the alleged corruption that is currently crippling the entity. Scopa is of the view that the syndicate that is operating at SAA and responsible for so much of the losses that have been experienced by the airline needs to be dismantled as a matter of urgency if SAA is to survive.
The committee is of the view that SAA also needs a mindset that is equal to the challenges and responsibilities bestowed upon it – and that will require the board and management of the entity to have a level of seriousness that goes beyond what they have been doing so far if they are to be successful in making SAA profitable again.
Scopa has requested the board to provide the committee with a comprehensive report on the SAA group and its subsidiaries with the interventions that have been done to deal with the issues currently plaguing the airline. The committee also wants the Open Water forensic report that has details on the implicated people and the actions that should be done. This report will assist the committee to have a clear follow-up. Scopa has also requested the Long Term Turnaround Strategy so it can understand all the issues that arose on logistics, stores and the evergreen contract of KWE.
Scopa will have its first meeting with Transnet employees this afternoon as part of its continuation with its oversight visit before meeting with the board and executive management of Transnet tomorrow.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF SCOPA, MR THEMBA GODI.
For media enquiries, please contact the Committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Ms Faith Ndenze
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8062
Cell: 081 377 0686
Email: fndenze@parliament.gov.za
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