What to Dudu? Myeni's time is up but she refuses to fly away

Fresh from a scathing court judgment over her first high-profile investigation report, public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has moved on to a tense standoff with SAA.

On Monday Mkhwebane summoned the airline’s leadership to a strained meeting, where she ordered them to reverse a decision to axe four employees for contravening the airline’s communications policy.

SAA insiders said the delegation — which included interim CEO Musa Zwane, SAA legal head Ursula Fikelepi and board member Thandeka Mgoduso — had been shocked that the public protector would get involved in an internal labour issue.

They were also surprised when their own chairwoman, Dudu Myeni, grilled them in the meeting.

Myeni had told the executives she would not attend, but she was already in Mkhwebane’s office when they arrived.

The four employees were fired last month after making public accusations of corruption against SAA officials.

“The public protector attacked [the SAA delegation] . . . But Thandeka put her in her place and told her she can’t interfere,” said an SAA insider. The source said Myeni had grilled Zwane and accused him of not sharing Mkhwebane’s letter regarding her probe with the SAA board.

Another SAA source said: “It looked like it was a planned attack . . . Thandeka confirmed the letter went to the board, that it was the board that said the public protector doesn’t have jurisdiction over internal labour issues.”

Mkhwebane’s spokeswoman, Cleopatra Mosana, said the meeting had been in agreement that all disciplinary cases should be held in abeyance.

She said the public protector had become concerned when members of the South African Cabin Crew Association, who had made a protected disclosure to SAA authorities and later to the public protector’s office, had approached her office with allegations that they were being victimised.

“If the law does not protect whistleblowers, it will be difficult for South Africa to fight fraud,” she said. “Her view is that the disciplinary processes can be stopped and started again once her investigation is complete.”

SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali said the four had been fired because of their conduct on social media and instant-messaging platforms “where they made grossly inappropriate, derogatory, insolent comments”.

He said the company drew a distinction between protected disclosure and infringement on company policy.

“Their conduct has impugned the reputation and dignity of these managers and has brought the company into disrepute.” He disputed Mosana’s claim that there had been an agreement that all disciplinary cases should be held in abeyance.

This scrap comes after the public protector received a dressing-down by Judge John Murphy in the High Court in Pretoria recently, in the Reserve Bank’s appeal against her remedial action. The central bank had approached the court to confirm its mandate.

Their conduct has brought the company into disrepute

Tlali Tlali SAA spokesman