Mind you though, one has to feel dreadfully sorry for the SAA company ethos. Jacob Zuma, the President of South Africa, was so unimpressed with the standards of maintenance and quality control in the airline recently that he felt it necessary on a flight to the USA last month to have two back up aircraft along for the ride. This was a gross traducement by applied innuendo of the high standards of SAA and Mr Zuma has done nothing other than to make himself appear ridiculous whilst demeaning the national flag carrier in the process.