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Gigaba defends SAA CEO at appointment of first black chief pilot

Gigaba defends SAA CEO at appointment of first black chief pilot

Photo by Duane Daws

22nd May 2014

By: Natalie Greve

Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

  

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Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba on Thursday vehemently defended the reputation of South African Airways (SAA) CEO Monwabisi Kalawe, at a media briefing announcing the appointment of the national carrier’s first black chief pilot, captain Eric Manentsa.

SAA was continually countering criticism of its seemingly perpetual bailouts by government and boardroom infighting, the latest of which, according to media reports earlier this week, involved SAA acting chairperson Dudu Myeni accusing Kalawe of “serious” breaches of governance.

Business Day Live reported on Wednesday that Myeni and another board member had approached the auditor-general to investigate Kalawe over allegations including negotiating the purchase of insolvent Senegal Airlines without the board’s knowledge, defrauding customers by charging them for baggage-handling wrapping prior to the service being delivered, fuel procurement irregularities and his apparent refusal to sign a performance agreement.

Despite the allegations, Gigaba on Thursday reiterated his support of SAA’s CEO, stating that he would “deal with” the two board members that had revealed their dissatisfaction of Kalawe to the press and who had distributed the minutes of a recent SAA board meeting without permission.

“I have full confidence in the CEO and his ethics and I’ll deal with this matter in the manner that I should. The so-called discord at SAA is not there, there are simply one or two ill-disciplined people, but the board is united.

“I know who they are and I will deal with them, as they committed a crime. I treat [the unauthorised distribution of board minutes] in a very serious light and I cannot allow any member to act in an irrational or reckless manner,” he asserted.

Gigaba further noted that the fact that someone had made an allegation “did not necessarily mean that it was true”.

“There is a whole range of allegations and when I asked the board for a response, they had an explanation for every one of them,” he said.

Meanwhile, responding to a question on the troubled national carrier’s ageing fleet, Myeni said SAA was in the process of appointing an external technical adviser who would advise them on the procurement of new airplanes as part of the airline’s long-term turnaround strategy.

“The targeted date for us to make an announcement on our preferred equipment provider is October this year,” he noted.

FIRST BLACK CHIEF PILOT
Manentsa appointment followed the retirement in July last year of captain Johnny Woods, who had concurrently held the positions of chief pilot and head of flight operations. SAA was currently on the hunt for a new head of flight operations.

As chief pilot, Manentsa would be responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the airline’s 800 pilots, ensuring the company remained compliant with local and international regulations and continued to support the company in fulfilling its mandate.

He boasted 30 years of experience as a pilot and in managerial roles in the aviation industry, having joined SAA in 1994 as an in-flight relief pilot on the Boeing 747 for nine months before flying as a first officer on the Boeing 737 on the domestic and regional network.

In 2005, 12 years after joining SAA, he became a captain of the Airbus A319/A320 fleet and on July 1, 2008, was appointed fleet captain of the Airbus A319/A320 fleet – a position he held ever since.

Manentsa, who was also a nonexecutive director of the Commercial Aviation Association of South Africa had, to date, amassed some 14 000 flying hours.

Gigaba said the appointment was in line with SAA’s – and other State-owned enterprises’ – transformation agenda, which looked to increase proportional representation within the public enterprises sector and drive the inclusion of black-, youth- and women-owned businesses in State procurement strategies.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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