“Every time when a black person is successful, there’s always some narrative,” said newly appointed CEO of South African Airways (SAA) Professor John Lamola, brushing off claims that his deployment was due to cadre deployment and ANC influence.
The Cabinet approved Lamola’s appointment on Thursday, but the decision has sparked controversy.
IOL has learned that Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and Deputy President Paul Mashatile conducted additional interviews with Lamola months after the initial selection process.
In an interview with eNCA, Lamola responded to critics saying, “Every time a black person is successful, there’s always some narrative there, but I want to tell you that what has deployed me, is the same spirit that deployed me when I was a 12-year-old boy in the dusty streets of Ikageng, Potchefstroom.
“I knew that something is not right in our country, I have to be a patriot, I have to put my hand forward to make South Africa a great country."
He emphasised his commitment to South Africa, stating that he believes that South African Airways is a very strategic asset of the people.
“I'm very privileged to be serving the South African Airways, it is the continuation of that struggle of building a successful growing South Africa that we can be proud of,” Lamola said.
The SAA has faced financial challenges, including capacity issues and a lack of strategic equity partner, though it has recently reported a profit.
Lamola, who takes the helm of a financially struggling national carrier, outlined his vision for SAA’s recovery.
“We are not on a third phase of our rebuilding of the South African Airways. The second phase we have just gone through this financial year, in April, it was announced that the strategic equity partner (SEP) transaction would not proceed,” Lamola said.
“We have crafted a corporate plan, a three-to-five-year plan, that ensures that the South African Airways is financially sustainable without relying on shareholders bailouts.”
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Despite SAA’s ongoing struggles, Lamola remains optimistic.
“We will be able to run South African Airways for the coming two to three years out of our own operational revenues,” he said.
Lamola’s appointment, however, has raised questions about political interference.
Reports suggest that Creecy pushed Lamola’s candidacy, with backing from the ANC’s deployment committee, despite Lamola scoring the lowest among the final three candidates.
The sequence of interviews, which included Creecy and Mashatile’s involvement after the board’s initial selection, has fuelled concerns about the transparency of the process.
The SAA board had initially favoured Allan Kilavuka, the current CEO of Kenya Airways, but Kilavuka’s non-South African citizenship ultimately disqualified him for the role.
The appointment of Lamola as the permanent CEO is expected to stir debate in both political and business circles, as questions about the integrity of the selection process and the role of political figures continue to dominate the conversation surrounding the future of South Africa's embattled national carrier.
Cabinet spokesperson Khumbudzo Ntshavheni confirmed the appointment for a two-year term during a post-Cabinet briefing last week on Thursday.
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