The Progressive Professionals Forum (PPF) on Wednesday called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to convene a South African black executives summit which will dissect the state of corporate governance and management of State-owned enterprises.

The call comes after the resignations of two black executives, Phakamani Hadebe and Vuyani Jarana from Eskom and South African Airways (SAA) respectively.

The PPF said Jarana’s resignation came at a time when South African black executives were continuously finding themselves embroiled in the turmoil of the current state of corporate governance and management of the state-owned enterprises resulting in them resigning.

“Of great concern to PPF, representing the South African middle strata and the professionals though, are the reasons openly cited by the SAA’s black executive Vuyani Jarana which are attributed to his resignation,” said the PPF's national chair Abram Luruli, adding that these were reasons which couldn’t be taken lightly, especially by the newly inaugurated South African government as led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, mainly because they remained a threat to the thrust of the new dawn and the agenda to “grow South Africa together”.

The forum said it would like to join other progressive voices that were making calls to pay particular attention to the corporate vulnerability of the South African black executives, especially those who were entrusted with the driving of the developmental agenda of the State-owned enterprises and public service in general.

“The think tank and resource base of South Africa management and governance in South Africa, especially the SOEs and the public sector, with a view to emerge with an institutionalised roadmap through which corporate lapses, blockages, hinderances, identified shall be addressed and tracked regularly.

“PPF will also join hands with other progressive voices in ensuring that the Black Empowerment and Recognition Agenda (BERA) especially during this era of growing South Africa together is not sidetracked,” said Luruli.