In many ways, the continued failure of SA’s national carrier, South African Airways (SAA), can be likened to the routing of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French army in the Battle of France in May and June 1940 where poor training, weak man management and especially incompetent leadership sealed the Allies’ fate despite materiel superiority over the Germans. The French generals, with few exceptions, were a disgrace in terms of leadership, which quickly translated into poor morale. Although the BEF had highly capable officers and men, that quality was interspersed with subpar units that were ill equipped and poorly trained. Added to the mix of bad communication and lack of trust between the leaders of the Allied forces, a doomed campaign was inevitable. If British and French structures were ill prepared for the Battle of France, then nothing within SA’s political or SAA leadership inspires any confidence. There has been continual infighting over the past 15 years and ...

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