New SAA To Be Ready In A Matter of Weeks

Thebe Mabanga

The new airline to replace South African Airways (SAA) should be ready “in a matter of weeks” for presentation to Cabinet for approval.

This is according to Kgathatso Tlhakudi, the acting Director General of the Department of Public Enterprises, who spoke to Inside Politics during the weekend when government confirmed that it has appointed aviation consultants to help design the new entity.

“That is the kind of time we have” Tlhakudi said of the timeframe available to set up the new entity by “extracting” some of SAA assets, including a portion but not necessarily all of its staff.

SAA was placed in Business rescue by government in December last year and last Friday was the deadline for 4700  workers to accept a severance package offer from Business Rescue Practitioners Siviwe Dongwana and Les Matuson.

Government appears to have given up trying to save SAA, the national carrier that