South African Airways (SAA) pilots are expected attend a meeting at the airline’s human resources department on Monday amid growing uncertainty following the unexpected developments on Friday, when chief executive John Lamola and three board members resigned.
In a message circulated to members over the weekend, the South African Airways Pilots’ Association (Saapa) executive committee said “significant news was delivered on Friday, without any prior indication that such an event was imminent”, after earlier discussions around the state of the airline and global pressures affecting operations.
The meeting with human resources is expected to be followed by a further engagement on Monday afternoon with the acting group CEO Matshela Seshibe and the balance of the executive team.
At the time of publishing, Saapa indicated it had not been informed of the agenda for either meeting. “We fully comprehend the unnecessary anxiety and stress this situation is causing,” the committee told members, adding feedback would be provided once verified information becomes available.
SAA facing ‘big headwinds’
An SAA pilot said the airline is facing “big headwinds” and warned its future may hinge on “finally getting proper management and significant capital injection”.
The pilot said recent global developments like the war in Iran and higher fuel prices were not the root cause of the airline’s challenges, but rather “underlying issues”, that were described as long-standing internal problems.
SAA has faced years of financial instability, restructuring and reliance on state support, with questions around its long-term sustainability persisting, despite efforts to stabilise operations.
“This board is rubbish,” the pilot said. “[President] Cyril Ramaphosa and [Transport Minister] Barbara Creecy only have themselves to blame for the post-business rescue SAA possibly being at the point of collapse, again.
“It has one name still written all over it. The legacy of Dudu Myeni. Still blaming Covid is pathetic when other airlines like FlySafair and Airlink have prospered.”
Accusations of purge as CEO quits
The abrupt resignation of Lamola and three non-executive directors sparked speculation over the weekend that the airline boss was pushed to find the exit after similar suggestions surrounded the departure of SAA’s chief financial officer, Lindsay Olitzki, weeks before.
The airline’s Mphilo Dlamini denied that there were any other suspensions.
Unconfirmed reports also suggest that SAA did not renew the contracts of at least 25 cabin crew last week.
Seshibe’s appointment criticised
On Friday, the SAA board appointed Seshibe, who is also Air Chefs CEO, as acting group CEO – a decision that sparked criticism. Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse CEO Wayne Duvenage described the appointment as “cadre deployment on steroids”, while reaction from within the aviation community has been equally blunt, with one professional calling it a “complete and utter ‘clusterfu*k’”.
The criticism indicated not only on Seshibe’s lack of aviation experience, but also on his track record, particularly his time at Daybreak Farms, where he was suspended amid allegations of irregular payments. Although subsequent reports suggested he may have been cleared, the association has resurfaced following his appointment, raising further questions about governance and oversight.
Seshibe is also involved with the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation.
History repeating itself?
Former SAA executives said history was repeating itself.
“It reminds me of when Musa Zwane was appointed acting CEO. Next step was: he opened the vault for Dudu Myeni and Yakhe Kwinana to plunder SAA,” they said.
Another said: “Swap out the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation for Jacob Zuma Foundation and a couple of names, and this story could have been written 15 years ago”.
Lamola is expected to step down at the end of this month and leaves four years after being tasked to run the airline after business rescue. His time captaining what aviators called SAA 2.0 saw visible operational expansion, but it was also marked by ongoing questions around governance, financial reporting and political influence.
His departure, together with that of senior board members and the earlier exit of the chief financial officer, has been described by insiders as a “purge”, leaving the airline, in the words of one industry source, rudderless.
Aviation analyst Guy Leitch said the decision shows a worrying absence of succession planning at a critical time for the airline.
“It’s all the more strange that they appointed someone with zero aviation experience, whose role to date has been to run the least-important SAA subsidiary,” said Leitch, warning the acting role could continue for longer than expected, adding to instability.
Duvenage said Lamola’s resignation came as no surprise and linked the leadership changes to growing scrutiny around the airline’s financial reporting and governance.
“There have been mounting questions, particularly around the 2025 annual report sign-off and the mixed messages that didn’t align with the airline’s actual performance,” he said.
