"... continuing to ensure excellent business and tourism links between the Western Cape and the UK with our significant capacity via Johannesburg," UK tourists don't want to go via somewhere to get to Cape Town, and if they did they would use the very good links from LHR, GLA, NCL and MAN via the Middle East!! (SA tourists going northbound would most likely use those Middle East routes because they are cheaper!)
"A thorough analysis of the route made it clear that we could use our aircraft more profitably elsewhere..." Better links to the future colonial masters in the East?
Or is this all a smoke-screen for a revenue-raising plan to sell that valuable slot at LHR?
CPT-LHR has been an SAA route for a long, long time. 35yrs+?