Image via: Wikimedia Commons
Image via: Wikimedia Commons
South African Airways (SAA) continues to wallow in a mess of its own making this week, and workers continue with their crippling strike. Flights have been grounded and schedules torn apart, as the chaos besieging our airports reflects the true nature of the airline’s operation. The whole thing screams “privatisation”.
Natasha Mazzone argues the case for SAA privatisation
That’s according to the DA’s Natasha Mazzone, anyway. The shadow Public Enterprises Minister has lead the calls to take state ownership away from the flailing business, and make the airline operate in a private capacity. Mazzone is also open to the possibility of a “business rescue” package, but feels this is all heading one way.
“The airline must be placed under business rescue, in order to mitigate any further loss of revenue and to ensure that the entity is a going concern. If not business rescue, the only viable option would be the partial or full privatisation of this entity. SAA losing an estimated R52 million per day to these strikes.”
“SAA has become an albatross on our economy and South Africans derive very little benefit from this entity. The time has come for National Government to put its pride aside, do the right thing and begin the process of privatising the entity without delay. Bringing the entire aviation industry to a standstill will have devastating consequences on the tourism sector.”
Natasha Mazzone
“Unions holding South Africa to ransom”
The unions supporting these strikes have implored staff to hold out for an 8% wage increase. SAA have offered a rise of 5.9%, but this has been rejected by the likes of NUMSA and their affiliates. Dozens of domestic and international flights in South Africa have been cancelled as a result.
In fact, Natasha Mazzone took her own hammer and sickle to the unions of South Africa, and demanded that they have their powers greatly reduced:
“Unions enjoy far too much power; their proximity to the governing party has allowed them to hold the country to ransom while inflicting an insurmountable amount of damage on the economy. South Africa will have difficulty recovering from this kind of damage to the economy.”
“NUMSA and its affiliates are out of touch with the genuine concerns of the workers they represent and do not care about the sorry state of our economy. National Government must take a stand against unions and making the tough decisions without fear or favour.”
Natasha Mazzone
— SAA – South Africa (@flysaa) November 18, 2019
