Theft may cripple SAA technical division

Scopa doesn’t rule out inside job as airline launches forensic probe

The SAA technical division is under siege from a syndicate stealing aircraft components which‚ if not nipped in the bud‚ has the potential to collapse the airline.

This is according to Themba Godi‚ chairman of the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa)‚ who led a parliamentary delegation to visit the division on Tuesday.

The Scopa delegation grilled the airline’s management and board about their findings.

Godi said theft of SAA technical components amounted to billions in lost revenue for the national carrier.

This was a challenge which‚ if addressed‚ could restore normality at SAA and end its ongoing problems‚ said Godi.

“If the security of your assets is not your priority‚ then you do not know what you’re doing‚” Godi told SAA top management during the grilling at the SAA Airpark offices in Kempton Park in Johannesburg.

“In an environment like this‚ one cannot steal alone. It has to be a syndicate to move things around and pass through security checks. We think there is a problem with security and we spoke to it and emphasised that people must be vetted.

“The reality is that SAA technical is under siege from its employees, who are looting brazenly and this looting has become a culture run by a syndicate of people from the bottom right to the top.

“They must be stopped. If you get SAA technical right‚ all problems‚ financial and otherwise, will be solved.”

Godi was pleased by the engagement with management and the board, who displayed the will to get SAA back to profitability.

“I get a sense that the current CEO [Vuyani Jarana] is on top of things and fully understands what ought to be done to get SAA back to profitability.”

Jarana was equally pleased with the Scopa visit, saying it would assist the airline to improve its state of affairs.

He fully agreed with Godi’s analysis that the problems in the technical division were the priority.

“I agree with the Scopa chair because SAA technical revenue is 85% of the company’s whole revenue. Part of running an airline is to have aircraft availability running smoothly and the cost of maintenance becomes very critical so it’s material.

“If you fix SAA technical now‚ most of our problems will be gone. We need to fix it‚ the Scopa diagnosis is right.”

Jarana said his team had its finger on the pulse of the largescale theft of components and a forensic investigation to this end had been commissioned to establish all the facts.

SAA technical is under siege from its workers who are looting brazenly