Having sat and once more read through this whole thread, a glaring truth stands out way above the rest as a point of concern.
First remember that I am not an airline pilot, therefore falling into the sub-human category. SO - I have no vested interest in any side of this thread.
The underlying truth of the matter here is that it seems SAA drivers consider themselves as being 'better' than other drivers. A 10000 hour commander, whether it be SAA,Comair, Nationwide doesnt matter. You are a 10000 hour commander. You are not better because you work for SAA, you just got the opportunity when the company needed to hire pilots.
The biggest problem here is the perception that earning more money than the guy next to you, makes you a better pilot/person. Codswallop. You remain a mortal being, who will fail to get it up one day, who will too, forget his children's names and end up dead and buried in the same soil as your counterparts, and decomposed with the help of the same organisms. you are not earning what the company feels is your personal worth, you are being paid the company standard. Working for a large company, earning a large salary, is no reflection on you as an individual. The guy next to you is being paid the same, regardless of his colour, creed, or "good piloting skills".
The sooner a man values others for their personal worth, that cannot be meanured by bank balances, sports cars or which decade your equipment was manufacured, the sooner little bickering matches like this can be solved without having to resort to petty name calling, panty wetting and general unfound arrogance.
When you are lying there in the ground, I promise you that the worms are not going to choose an SAA corpse over any other. We are all just humans, that might work for different entities, but trust me here, the employer dont make the man.