Parliament - ANC Chief Whip in the National Assembly Pemmy Majodina says that the assertion by the party’s National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe that South African Airways should be sold was his own personal view and not that of the governing ANC.
Majodina, who has been speaking with Independent Media at a hotel in Cape Town ahead of the State of the Nation Address, also stressed that not all State-Owned Enterprises are in disarray as there are some that are performing well.
Her comments on Mantashe come in the wake of his remarks over the weekend where he told a gathering of the ANC in the Eastern Cape that if the embattled national carrier should be sold if it could not make money while also claiming that SAA only serviced the elite.
“The working class use buses and taxis, if the money we are using to subsidise SAA was used for the buses, taxis and trains, we would have a case. This thing of continuously pumping money into SAA, which services the elite, middle class and higher class, is a problem,” Mantashe said.
In response to this, Majodina said that Mantashe’s view were his own opinion and not an opinion held by the party.
“Not all SOEs are in disarray, there are SOEs that are doing very well be it ACSA (Airports Company South Africa), be it Sanral (South African National Roads Agency) are doing very well, but with Eskom and SAA we are very firm as the ANC.
“What was said by my National Chairperson (Mantashe) was his own opinion. The NEC of the ANC at the Lekgotla said we must keep SAA, restructure SAA, but SAA must be financially viable and it must have stable management,” said Majodina.
However, Majodina said they would not allow other countries and airlines “to come and fly our skies” and that SAA needed to maximise domestic routes.