It’s time to stand up to the unions to save SA

Imagine that South African Airways (SAA) were to feature on an episode of the TV series Air Crash Investigation – not for its aviation safety, but for its disastrous business trajectory.

Then, imagine that the pilot and co-pilot are both wearing ANC uniforms. As the aircraft wallows in the sky, they begin arguing, even as the warning buzzers and lights go off. One says down, the other says up. One says full throttle, the other says cut power. While the argument rages, the plane stalls and becomes uncontrollable, plunging to its destruction.

If only what is happening at SAA were a TV programme. At least you could change the channel, instead of watching the crash happen in slow motion.

Minerals and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe said at the weekend that SAA should be sold off, to stem the flow of taxpayers’ rands supporting it. His comments came hours after President Cyril Ramaphosa and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan took exception to the business research practitioners at the airline trying to halt the death spiral by slashing routes.

Ramaphosa and Gordhan said they want to have a word with the business rescue experts … and thereby interfere in a legally imposed process.

Clearly, the ANC does not want to take the measure necessary to rescue SAA – which would start with staff cutbacks. The unionist part of the Tripartite Alliance will obviously not allow this – as they fight similar action at Eskom and elsewhere in the government-controlled parts of the economy – and the wimpish attitude of Ramaphosa and Gordhan speaks volumes about the ANC’s fear of union power.

That attitude has ominous implications for the future of the country. As long as the unions continue to hold government hostage, we are all headed down. And very few of us have parachutes to escape.

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