Lungani Zungu and Zukile Majova
The more than 3,500 employees of SAA have accused Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan of selling a 51% stake in the struggling airline to a private consortium behind their backs.
They claim a shroud of secrecy surrounds the sale of the stake to black consortium Takatso, which leaves the government with a 49% stake in the national carrier.
Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, who speaks for Numsa and SACCA, said: “As unions we are finding out through the media about this equity partner.
“We have been asking since last year for DPE to be transparent about the process to appoint an equity partner for the sake of the future of SAA, but they refused to disclose. “
Gordhan said the consortium paid R3 billion for the stake.
Bantu Holomisa, the president of the United Democratic Movement, lambasted the government.
“The National Treasury, Minister Gordhan and all the departments involved in this deal have a lot of explaining to do.”
The government has been dishing out bailouts amounting to billions to the cash-strapped airline, but Covid dealt the final blow, leading the government to sell its majority stake.
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomed the sale.
“This is certainly a step in the right direction for the ailing national flag carrier. We are pleased that our calls have finally been heard by the government in taking this bold step to sell-off SAA,” said IFP Deputy President, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi.
He said the sale would bolster private and foreign investor confidence.
“This shows that our country is serious in acting to address failing State-Owned Entities (SEO),” he said.
The DA has been calling for the sale of the airline for many years.
Gordhan said the sale was in line with the transformation agenda. “The chairperson of the board shall be a South African and the airline must train more black pilots,” he said.
Image source: @fmtoday
