SAA governance crisis deepens — allegations against suspended CEO demand urgent, independent investigation

JOHANNESBURG | Sunday, 16 August 2026 — Public Interest SA is deeply concerned by the worsening governance crisis at South African Airways (SAA) and the latest allegations concerning its acting CEO, Matshela Seshibe, who has been placed on special leave pending an internal process.

The reported allegations — including those relating to procurement and matters arising from Seshibe’s tenure as CEO of SAA subsidiary Air Chefs — are serious and must not be dismissed or prejudged. According to reporting by the Sunday Times, the allegations arise from an anonymous whistleblower report and have not yet been formally put to Seshibe.

Public Interest SA therefore stresses an important principle: an allegation is not proof of wrongdoing, but neither should an allegation supported by prima facie evidence be ignored or suppressed.

The appropriate response is a prompt, independent, thorough and transparent investigation, with due process afforded to everyone implicated.

The circumstances are particularly troubling because Seshibe's placement on special leave represents yet another disruption to the leadership of an airline that has already experienced significant executive instability.

The Sunday Times reports that SAA has now gone through three CEO changes in four months. The newspaper also reports that Seshibe was appointed acting CEO only four months ago following the sudden departure of John Lamola.

This revolving door at executive level is profoundly damaging to institutional stability, investor and stakeholder confidence, employee morale and the credibility of the airline's turnaround.

SAA is not an ordinary commercial enterprise. It is a strategic state-owned asset that has historically required substantial public support. Its governance failures ultimately have consequences for taxpayers and the South African public.

There can therefore be no tolerance for a culture in which allegations of misconduct, procurement irregularities or governance failures are allowed to become matters of political or institutional convenience.

The reported whistleblower allegations must be treated with the seriousness they deserve.

Public Interest SA is particularly concerned by the broader implications of allegations concerning Air Chefs, including the reported detection of Listeria monocytogenes in beef pastrami processed by the subsidiary and served in passenger meals and other facilities, as well as reports that employees were required to sign non-disclosure agreements concerning the incident.

The Sunday Times reports that the Department of Health said it had not received the mandatory notification of the positive test results and subsequently initiated an investigation.

These matters require careful verification by the competent authorities. If established, however, they would raise questions extending beyond ordinary corporate governance into public health, regulatory compliance and the protection of passengers and employees.

Whistleblowers who bring credible concerns to light must be protected rather than exposed to retaliation, intimidation or professional consequences.

Public Interest SA welcomes the SAA board's stated commitment to good governance, accountability, integrity and leadership. But such commitments must be demonstrated through action.

The board should ensure that:

1. The investigation into the allegations is genuinely independent and not controlled by persons who may themselves be implicated or have a conflict of interest.

2. All relevant evidence is preserved, including procurement records, contracts, payment records, correspondence, board and committee minutes, audit findings and whistleblower disclosures.

3. The whistleblower is appropriately protected in accordance with the law.

4. Any prima facie evidence of criminal conduct, corruption, fraud, maladministration or other unlawful conduct is promptly referred to the appropriate law-enforcement or investigative authority.

5. The investigation examines not only individual conduct but also systemic governance failures and the adequacy of SAA's internal controls.

6. The outcome is communicated transparently to the extent permitted by law.

The fact that Seshibe has previously been cleared of allegations arising during his tenure at Daybreak Farms, as reported by the Sunday Times, is equally relevant. It reinforces why the present allegations must be investigated on their own merits rather than through assumption, reputational inference or guilt by association.

The Minister of Transport has reportedly indicated that she is monitoring the governance process and is focused on ensuring that airline operations remain stable and are not compromised.

That responsibility must now extend to ensuring that the governance process itself is beyond reproach.

SAA cannot continue lurching from one leadership crisis to another while the underlying institutional weaknesses remain unresolved.

South Africa needs a national airline that is commercially viable, professionally managed and governed with uncompromising integrity.

Public Interest SA therefore calls on the SAA board, shareholder representatives and the Minister of Transport to use this moment not merely to manage another executive crisis, but to undertake a comprehensive examination of the governance architecture of SAA and its subsidiaries.

The objective must be clear: establish the truth, protect whistleblowers, hold wrongdoers accountable where wrongdoing is established, and restore public confidence in SAA.

The airline's survival cannot depend merely on financial restructuring or changes of executives.

It depends equally on ethical leadership, institutional accountability and a governance culture in which no individual — regardless of position — is above scrutiny.

ENDS

Issued by: Public Interest SA