“The end of the line is coming soon,” Economist Mike Schussler told the weekly rag Sunday Times over the weekend. “We are in a deep crisis, we cannot save every state owned entity (SOE) and I think at this point in time Eskom is much more important than SAA”
His comments come at a time when SAA requested another R4 billion from the government in an attempt to keep the struggling airline afloat. BusinessTech reports the airline continues to operate at a loss and has a R3.5-billion short-term loan, which will be depleted at the end of this month (June 2019), along with a long-term R9.2-billion loan.
SAA board member Martin Kingston is quoted as saying that the board was worried about the state of the economy and how it may impact the government’s decision to bail out the airline.
Schussler says the airline is “indebted to the nth degree”, and that it probably wouldn’t survive.
Meanwhile labour union Solidarity says SAA needs urgent, radical intervention from outside. Responding to the resignation of SAA CEO, Vuyani Jarana, last week, Connie Mulder, head of Solidarity’s Research Institute says since Pres Cyril Ramaphosa’s election a spirit of excitement prevailed about a new beginning. “However, it now seems as if the faces on the pictures may have changed but the facts on the ground have not. Mr Jarana’s resignation leaves Solidarity with no choice but to update its court papers for business rescue, making a final end to the cadre merry-go-round at the SAA.”
SAA ‘is unsalvageable’
He says he finds its extremely disconcerting that in his letter of resignation Mr Jarana cites all the challenges Solidarity had highlighted in 2018 as the reasons for the airline’s failure. “This is proof that while the airline is state-owned it is unsalvageable, regardless of who is at its helm. In 2018 Solidarity reached an agreement with Mr Jarana in terms of which he would give us regular feedback on progress being made with the turnaround strategy. It is now clear to us that this strategy is not going to be implemented for as long as the SAA is owned by the state,” Mulder added.
The SAA’s status as a going concern is still in jeopardy, and it would appear as if little progress has been made as far the implementation of the turnaround strategy is concerned.
“To give a new CEO another chance, yet again, will be irresponsible given the history of the SAA,” Mulder added.
Solidarity considers the SAA business rescue application to be a precedent-creating case of vital importance, not only for the SAA, but also for taking back other, bigger state-owned enterprises from the hands of the state.
“To sit back now and let the SAA continue with another bailout and a new face will be akin to treating a patient who needs heart bypass surgery with a Panado. The SAA and other state-owned enterprises need radical, external intervention, and Solidarity will provide it,” Mulder concluded.
When Jarana resigned he said he would vacate the post on 31 August. However, the Sunday Times reported that he would now vacate his position immediately and would be succeeded by Zukisa “Zuks” Ramasia as acting CEO of SAA.
