More incredible news from our national airline this week, with the revelation that Khaya Ngqula, the sacked — sorry, terminated by mutual agreement — former chief executive of South African Airways could be paid out up to R8-million for the remainder of his contract!
Given that SAA is gobbling up public money faster than a frequent traveller with a love for airline food, it beggars belief that taxpayers' money is being used to reward an executive who's run a loss-making airline and possibly awarded dodgy tenders to friends and family to boot!
That investigation is still underway, but where there's smoke there's usually fire, and I can't believe the board would have 'relieved' Ngqula of his position if they hadn't believed there was trouble ahead.
Thankfully, the Cabinet has this week thrown the book at the Department of Public Enterprises and asked for a full report as to what was agreed between the SAA Board and Ngqula.
In the meantime, however, the travelling public and bill-paying taxpayer will keep funding an airline that seems incapable of turning a profit. Airlines globally are suffering, but surely it is time to throw SAA into the stormy waters of global aviation and see if it sinks or swims on its own? If the leading airlines of the world are anything to go by, the days of government-owned flag-carriers are long gone...
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