Pilots, Outa want ‘delinquent’ Myeni removed as SAA chairperson

The South African Airways Pilots Association (Saapa) and the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) on Wednesday fired a legal broadside at South African Airways (SAA) board chairperson, Dudu Myeni.

The move to apply for a court order by the two bodies was in a bid to have Myeni declared a delinquent director, who has grossly abused her position.

If successful, Myeni would be disqualified from her directorship, or holding a senior or executive position within any South African company for a minimum of seven years.

“The day Myeni was appointed chair on September 28, 2012 proved to be calamitous for SAA,” Outa’s transport portfolio director Ben Theron said.

“This day saw the mass resignation of seven members of the SAA board, including chairperson Cheryl Carolus and the appointment of Duduzile Myeni in her place.”

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Saapa chairperson Captain Jimmy Conroy said SAA was approaching a point where its “very survival is in question”.

“We believe this is a direct result of the accumulation of poor governance, political interference and a dearth of expertise and strategic vision – a delinquency of the highest order,” Conroy said.

According to Conroy, 740 pilots were in SAA’s employ, and more than 730 of them were members of Saapa.

“The pilots of SAA want to see our national carrier succeed. That is the motivation that drives our decisions and actions,” Conroy said.

He said morale at the airline wasn’t great.

“Especially from the technical side, there was a lot of criticism about morale-related issues,” said Conroy.

“From the pilots’ side, we’ve always had the airline’s best interests at heart and we insist on operating to the highest standards.”

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