On Monday SAA pilots voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion of no confidence in both the chairperson and the non-executive board of directors of South Africa’s national carrier.
The Times online quotes Captain John Harty, chairman of the SAA Pilots Association, in a report saying the pilots’ concerns include:
- the precarious financial situation at SAA;
- the controversial Airbus deal and possible breaches of the Public Finance Management Act and/or Company’s Act;
- the decimation of the Board and the Executive Leadership team; as well as
- the impact of recent statements made by the Chairperson on the authority of the Captain of the aircraft.
A total of 472 pilots attended in person and by proxy for the vote, at a Special General Meeting in Kempton Park: 457 pilots voted in favour of a motion of no confidence, two pilots voted against the motion and 11 pilots abstained.
Harty said the motion had been communicated to the SAA Board and to the Minister of Finance, Nhlanhla Nene.
“It is hoped that this vote will serve as a clarion call to Minister Nene and the government that the future of SAA requires immediate and urgent attention and that a new board, fit for purpose and able to deal with the challenges currently facing the airline, be appointed as soon as possible,” he said.
The Times goes on to speculate that a leasing arrangement with Airbus, reached in March, is a crucial part of SAA’s turnaround plan but that all indications are that it is going tits up. Business Day reported earlier that SAA chairwoman Dudu Myeni (pictured above) – without the agreement or involvement of SAA executives – unilaterally informed Airbus last month that the contract would be renegotiated.
The March deal to lease five A330 wide-body planes to SAA will reportedly be changed to an outright sale to a third party that would purchase the planes on SAA ’s behalf. The third party has not been named by Myeni – either to Airbus or SAA ’s executives.
The Times also quotes a statement by Myeni earlier this year that raised the ire of pilots. The lady-friend of President Zuma said pilot salaries is one of the major factors affecting the airline’s financial position.
She said pilots are a “paltry” 12% of the national carrier’s total workforce but accounted for more than 40% of SAA’s salaries. She is of the opinion the airline could save R75 million by renegotiating pilot contracts.
