SAA, the soap opera, with ever-changing cast and behind-the-scenes skulduggery

A SPATE of high-profile resignations had rendered SAA a rudderless organisation akin to a soap opera, stakeholders said this week.

This comes in the wake of the sudden announcement by SAA subsidiary Mango that its CEO, Nico Bezuidenhout, would leave at the end of next month. He will join UK-based African low-cost carrier Fastjet.

Bezuidenhout resigned on Wednesday after, sources say, SAA chairwoman Dudu Myeni made known her intention to conduct a forensic investigation into whistleblower allegations that he had prejudiced SAA.

His resignation is the fifth such announcement by a senior executive at the airline.

At present, SAA has no permanent CEO, chief financial officer, chief procurement officer, or chief commercial officer.

Its last permanent CEO was Monwabisi Kalawe, who was suspended in late 2014 and later resigned. Several sources have blamed the exodus on Myeni.

“Everyone knows, if you cross her, then you will be dealt with,” said a source.

Although denied by SAA, Business Times has learnt from three sources that Bezuidenhout’s decision to leave was accelerated by Myeni telling Mango chairman Rashid Wally that she intended investigating Bezuidenhout.

The chief allegation against him is that he used his time at SAA to benefit Mango.

Yet two independent forensic investigations into losses at SAA have cleared Bezuidenhout.

“It was felt the investigations could not possibly be correct because we know that on the KZN-Cape Town route, for instance, he scheduled Mango flights literally five minutes after SAA. Now, people . . . will obviously go for the cheaper ticket with that short distance,” said a senior SAA source who is sympathetic to Myeni.

Several current and former SAA employees said investigations were used as a ruse to chase out people considered undesirable to Myeni.

On Friday, during a radio interview on 702, Bezuidenhout alluded to leadership and instability problems at SAA.

“You’ve got all the ingredients of a normal type of soap opera . . . It can be fixed, but what is required is stability in management, strong leadership right at the top from board to bottom, and then things can be done.”

SAA had not responded to detailed questions by the time of going to print.