Audit outcomes top agenda at SAA board’s first meeting

The newly-appointed South African Airways (SAA) interim board is expected to hold its first meeting on Wednesday, with the valuation of assets and plans for good audit outcomes being among the topics on the agenda.
Interim board chairperson Derek Hanekom says he still believes in the national carrier. He’s however conceded that getting the airline back to its former glory will be difficult.
The former Tourism Minister says the airline has an incredible past.
“Why did I accept this offer, this opportunity? Simply because I think it is a big challenge. I really believe in SAA and that we are able to get it back to where it was before. It’s going to be a long road, but it is on the road to recovery as we speak.”
Negative comments
Meanwhile, Hanekom has since dismissed what he calls a negative narrative surrounding the appointment of an interim board for the carrier.
This after the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said that the sudden appointment of the new interim SAA board stinks of corruption.
Suspended public enterprises DG, Kgathatso Tlhakudi has alleged that assets belonging to SAA were undervalued.
Hanekom has reacted to some of the allegations.
“The fact is that Minister Pravin Gordhan made the decision to appoint this board, and what processes he went through. I really don’t know. As far as a NUMSA statement is concerned, I’ve heard that there was a statement- I haven’t read it. I’ve heard some other things that have been said- so, there is a kind of negative narrative, which is perhaps understandable. But some of it is perhaps based on completely false assumptions and false information. So the notion that this board was appointed in order to cover up any wrongdoing of the past is completely wrong,” adds Hanekom.
In the discussion below, Hanekom speaks on his appointment: