SA Express’s failure, mismanagement, incompetence, corruption

FF Plus opinion

The three main reasons for why the wings of the SA Express aircraft were unceremoniously cut today as well as for all the problems at SAA, other public enterprises and municipalities, which are all under ANC management, are the same: mismanagement, incompetence and corruption.

Today, the Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) suspended the air operating certificate and other licences of SA Express.

It is particularly disturbing that the airworthy certificates of nine of SA Express’s 21 aircraft were also suspended and one cannot help but wonder how long the airline’s management was aware of the poor maintenance on aircraft, but still allowed the aircraft to transport passengers at great risk to their lives as well as to South Africa’s population on the whole.

The financial crisis at SA Express, which is the direct cause of the poor condition of their aircraft, is the result of years and years of poor management.

SA Express and SAA are not financially sustainable and are, therefore, a burden on the taxpayer. The government regularly has to step in and spend billions of rands of taxpayers’ money to bail out the two entities. These entities are not profitable at all seeing as the state has to keep saving them from utter financial ruin.

Mismanagement, negligence and corruption have caused the downfall of an airline that was once internationally competitive. The FF Plus is of the opinion that this public enterprise must be privatised.

The proposed consolidation of SAA, SA Express and Mango will not save the entities. It will only lead to further ruin and it will be to the detriment of Mango, which is the only one that is successful at present.

The fact that SA Express flights have been suspended goes to show that a merger will only be to the detriment of Mango and SAA.

Read the original article in Afrikaans by Wouter Wessels on FF Plus

South Africa Today – South Africa News

SOURCEFF Plus