BRONWYN NORTJE: From playbook to playlists, SAA will struggle to stay in the game
Airline has too many legacy issues to interest a partner in an environment of brutal rivalry
Poor South African Airways (SAA) just can’t seem to get a break. In May trade union Solidarity filed an application to have the airline placed under business rescue on the basis that it was financially unviable. In a desperate bid to cut costs and reduce losses, CEO Vuyani Jarana announced that the airline would be cutting 1,000 to 1,500 jobs, but this was not enough to keep the business rescue wolves from the door. Last week, as part of an agreement that would have Solidarity hold off on its business rescue application, Jarana announced that SAA would be urgently seeking an equity partner to acquire a stake in the business. Somewhere in the middle of all this the Department of Public Enterprises began a legal process to merge SAA and South African Express. The final straw came on Tuesday when South African rapper AKA called SAA out on Twitter for not having a 100% local playlist as passengers board the plane. I mean, really. You might ask why in the midst of all of this chaos it is...
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