No Dudu, this is why you’re being roasted

WE should not roll our eyes in dismissal when SAA chairwoman Dudu Myeni says she is being “attacked” because she is black and she is a woman. In our racist, patriarchal society it is not inconceivable that a powerful, successful black woman would pose a threat to the status quo.

I was reminded of a conversation I had with a powerful woman, Joyce Banda, the former president of Malawi. At the height of her presidency I interviewed her and she related, in great detail, instances when she felt undermined because she was a woman. Not long thereafter, I interviewed the MD of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde. This powerful former French finance minister, now heading one of the most formidable institutions of our times, had also experienced sexism. If it can happen to Banda and Lagarde, it can happen to Myeni.

But is Myeni correct in her lament that the questions she is being asked and the accountability demanded of her are because she is a black woman?

I say an emphatic no! Is she right to argue that she is being “attacked”? Again, no! I am not sure how we got to the point where people who are in positions of authority call every critique of their actions an attack. I am not arguing that Myeni has not faced racism or sexism. Given the number of times I have experienced it, I can confidently deduce that in her lifetime, she must have faced these ills many times. But let us not conflate issues here.

She does have questions to answer about decisions she makes, particularly because an EY audit has uncovered significant irregularities and poor procurement practices.

The head of audit and risk at SAA, Yakhe Kwinana, told parliament that the investigation revealed there were no proper contracts for some services and some business decisions did not yield value for money, despite the airline being an airline of choice for customers all over the world.

The airline has made spectacular financial losses and is seeking an additional state guarantee of R4-billion to R5-billion. It is worth noting that just last year it asked for a guarantee of more than R6-billion. Add to that the many years of bail-outs and turnaround strategies.

Granted, some of these problems precede Myeni and perhaps many people in management must account for them. She has previously pointed the finger at the carrier’s recently resigned chief financial officer, Wolf Meyer, who in turn claims he is being besmirched because he was following strict procurement practices and closing the door to connected people.

Myeni says she is being “attacked” because she is opening the door for those who were previously excluded from economic activity. In other words, black people. There is no debate about the judiciousness and urgency of the matter. The question is how SAA plans to go about this. Will the business deals be fair, transparent and go to deserving businesses, rather than those with the right friends?

Another concern is that there is no legal framework in place yet to allow SAA to compel its big suppliers to share the cake with smaller players. And this responsibility lies with the government. We have ministries of small business, trade and industry, finance, and economic development. Between them, why can they not find a coherent and implementable mechanism to achieve this?

The litany of maladies cannot be explained away with “Maybe it is because I am a woman. Maybe it is because I am black”. Myeni is the chairwoman. She must rise to the occasion. The best way to counter “attacks” is to be excellent and accountable.