The divisions and infighting at the SAA were laid bare yesterday after all the board members boycotted the meeting of the standing committee on finance, leaving chairperson Dudu Myeni to show up alone.
This forced MPs to call off the meeting. ANC MP Thandi Tobias-Pokolo said, “I find it odd all members of the board are not here. We have serious matters to discuss. The SAA board must take responsibility for the airline.”
Alf Lees, of the DA ,said he was equally concerned about the absence of the rest of the board members.
ANC MP Dikeledi Mahlangu said Myeni has been “accused of bulldozing the board and running the show alone”. Floyd Shivambu, of the EFF, said there has been a crisis at SAA and Myeni has been fingered to be at the centre of it. “She has never been to a board meeting in the past eight board meetings.”
But Myeni defended herself and said she has attended all the scheduled board meetings at SAA. She said she was aware of the meeting with the committee from last Wednesday.
“I received the same presentation last night and there was no time for a dry run. All regulated and scheduled meetings of the board I attended them. I (will) stop there.”
National Treasury director-general Dondo Mogajane said they were working hard to ensure financial stability at SAA.He said the negotiations on loans of R9 billion were at an advanced stage.