Mantashe at odds with Ramaphosa over SAA spells rift within ANC – analyst

The discord between ANC chair Gwede Mantashe and its president Cyril Ramaphosa over the handling of money leech South African Airways was yet another sign of a widening rift within the ANC.

That’s according to political analyst Professor Lesiba Teffo, from the Institute for African Renaissance Studies, who said the mixed messages coming from the ruling party were a sign of ideological, economic and political differences within the ANC.

“There are too many ANCs within the ANC so when they are at war with themselves then those that they serve will undoubtedly suffer,” said Teffo.

He said differences of opinion between Mantashe and Ramaphosa were not helpful.

After Ramaphosa denounced the business rescue practitioner’s announcement they were going to discontinue a number of routes and begin retrenchments, Mantashe voiced his opinion on the matter and said SAA should either be closed down or sold to the highest bidder given the fact that it was struggling to stay afloat.

“If SAA wants to survive, it must make money to survive. If it can’t, it must be closed down. If there is a businessperson who can run it, they must take it,” Mantashe is reported to have said.

When The Citizen called him yesterday to ask about the cost-cutting measures implemented by SAA, Mantashe refused to comment, saying he was home in the Eastern Cape and did not want to be bothered.

Mantashe’s comments were in direct conflict with the views of Ramaphosa and the ANC’s national executive committee. Both are opposed to the shutting down or selling of SAA.

Independent political analyst Dr Sabelo Ndlovu said the privatisation or selling of the cash-strapped national airline was not an option of national interest.

He said the airline was both a national symbol and business creature that should not be sold or privatised, so government had to find a way to revive the embattled state-owned entity.

“I will go with President Ramaphosa’s position on SAA. Outsourcing it has its own problems.

“But this national symbol also has to be sustainable, financially speaking. Mismanagement has led to this crisis. Despite its problems, SAA has been one of the best on the continent and it serviced citizens well domestically,” said Ndlovu.

SAA business rescuers Les Matuson and Siviwe Dongwana said yesterday they had “noted the comments … regarding our recent actions with respect to restructuring SAA into a financially sustainable entity”.

“The decisions we took and informed the public of this week were taken in the best interests of SAA. They are intended to make the airline commercially and operationally sustainable, free from the requirement of future funding from the government post the implementation of the restructure,” the duo said.

“We recognise the concerns raised, especially around the domestic routes. We will continue to engage with stakeholders, with a commitment to include inputs into the final business rescue plan, which is due to be published by the end of this month.”

– gcinan@citizen.co.za

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