Broadcast excerpt·MON, 26 OCT 2026 · 06:53:07–06:55:34 SAST
A short excerpt captured live from 702. Watermarked for fair-dealing attribution, free to share.
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This morning. Good morning and good morning from South Africans. Thank you for having me. Is it time, Musimaimane, to really forego the idea for all the national feeling and sentiment and warmth it brings to our hearts, but to forego the idea of a national carrier because we simply can no longer afford it? No, I don't think so. What I think that the business model that the government needs to be a
100% owner of the airline needs to be foregone. I think the idea that we need to stabilize South African Airways finances, you can have a British Airways, it has an equity partner, you have other airlines in Africa who have got different shareholding structures, so should be the case for SAA. But the pathway to achieve that cannot travel through the pathway of saying, let's put the airline on its knees.
That whoever the equity partner comes in is buying it at its lowest point. What we've really got to think about is to say, how do we stabilize the finances of the carrier? How do we ensure that, as a shareholder in terms of government, it does the job of all the accountability mechanisms that go forth from there? And I really do believe SAA is a strategic importance for South Africa, not only in carrying its brand, but also for the continent of Africa. One of the toughest places to travel is next door rather than.
Going to another European or American destination. It's harder to get through the continent. So, for the interest of economic growth in South Africa with 1.4 billion people in the continent, it's an important asset. But I do think the structure and the ownership structure of the airline can change. It doesn't mean it'll stop being South African Airways. All it means is that it'll be owned differently. But an asset surely is something that brings in money. It's not something that continues year after year, decade after decade.
To bleed money? No, completely. And we've really got to deeply interrogate. That is the purpose of my engagement with South Korean Airways and the Minister of Transport. Firstly, South Korean Airways has had an extension of a CEO who's been on suspension. We've got to look into why there's such strong leadership challenges there. The new board that's come in, led by a very competent chairperson, how do they ensure that strategically they can turn around the airline?
In the short space of time. Thirdly, and most importantly, whilst SAA reflects deeply on fuel costs and geopolitical matters, which have put strain on all other airlines, the real question is: if you can't run a business when the fuel price was lower effectively, it is becoming even harder at higher prices. So that's like having core mobilities during COVID. So now we've got to answer the very basic question: which is: what is the impact of SAA? How do we make sure strategically?
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