Embattled airline SA Express has announced the appointment of three new senior personnel as part of its recovery strategy.
The technical general manager position has been filled by South African Airways (SAA) flight technical and maintenance standards head, Bongani Tshabalala, while Essery Hamilton – who previously held the position of senior manager of risk, quality and compliance at the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) – has been appointed as safety division manager.
Madikwe Mabotha, the former chief director of communications at the Department of Higher Education and Training, has been appointed divisional manager for communications, public relations and corporate social investment.
SA Express interim chief executive officer, Siza Mzimela, noted that attracting and selecting the requisite skills and talent was key to restoring the airline’s credibility and closing the market gap left during the May grounding.
However, Free Market Foundation researcher Chris Hattingh told FTW Online that part of any state entity’s strategy was the appointment of new staff, but said that it seldom achieved anything. He noted that SA Express was just repeating the same tricks as other SOEs, such as SAA, had done over and over again.
Earlier this year, the SACAA grounded SA Express after suspending its operating licence and aircraft maintenance certification which exacerbated the financial challenges of the airline.
In addition, Mzimela reported to Parliament's portfolio committee on public enterprises in August that a lack of leadership capacity and poor governance over the years had led to a number of procurement shortfalls and a poor performance culture at the airline.
SA Express is expected to merge with SAA – an airline with its own financial, and other, issues – sometime soon.
