SAA is going down the Drain!
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I'm doing it because I think that airline is a circus. Ok, and because its fun too.
Success in the context of SAA/SAX is like being a genius rat. When you are amongst other rats you are quite impressive but in the world at large you are just a filthy vermin.
Never applied to work at SAA and never will. Why you think anybody would be jealous of those that do is beyond me. SAA is not the employer of choice that it maybe once was, its a political relic that thinks if its arrogant enough then people will forget how far it is past its 'sell by' date.
Anyhow, how much should the lucky taxpayer budget for this success story?
Success in the context of SAA/SAX is like being a genius rat. When you are amongst other rats you are quite impressive but in the world at large you are just a filthy vermin.
Never applied to work at SAA and never will. Why you think anybody would be jealous of those that do is beyond me. SAA is not the employer of choice that it maybe once was, its a political relic that thinks if its arrogant enough then people will forget how far it is past its 'sell by' date.
Anyhow, how much should the lucky taxpayer budget for this success story?
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All of you having a go at SAA here are frankly upset that you didn't get offered a flight deck seat here for whatever reason
MR SAA employee, if you don't understand the above statement I'll explain. Your ideas and facts are not related. Sorry.
Last edited by oompilot; 21st May 2014 at 15:47.
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Fuzzy Lager, you are so right! Exactly like you said: SAA is not the employer of choice anymore.
I do understand the SAA guys' ostrich tactic for all their problems: SAA use to be their unicorn - impossible to catch. Now that they caught it they realize its terminally ill and dying very quickly. Nobody wants to admit that their unicorn is dying. So arrogance is the best defense!
Everyone knows SAA is going down the drain, but does it really matter? Majority of foreign pax are brought into SA by foreign airlines. There is enough operators in SA and Africa. So who cares?
I do understand the SAA guys' ostrich tactic for all their problems: SAA use to be their unicorn - impossible to catch. Now that they caught it they realize its terminally ill and dying very quickly. Nobody wants to admit that their unicorn is dying. So arrogance is the best defense!
Everyone knows SAA is going down the drain, but does it really matter? Majority of foreign pax are brought into SA by foreign airlines. There is enough operators in SA and Africa. So who cares?
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You frustrated little chaps are welcome to choose whoever you wish to fly with..... Its great here, from the onboard service, to the equipment we operate and of course the conditions..........just beautiful
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Olirindis,
Its not about you, so don't take it personally. Nobody cares about your "equipment, conditions etc...". South Africans care about their tax money and corruption.
If you want to go that route I can tell you I fly a new -800 as well, in the future to be a MAX8, and with my businesses on the side ALONE I make more than a SAA junior captain.
Its about morals. NOT jealousy, NOT cadets, NOT you. SAA is hurting South Africans way more than the advantages it offers.
Its not about you, so don't take it personally. Nobody cares about your "equipment, conditions etc...". South Africans care about their tax money and corruption.
If you want to go that route I can tell you I fly a new -800 as well, in the future to be a MAX8, and with my businesses on the side ALONE I make more than a SAA junior captain.
Its about morals. NOT jealousy, NOT cadets, NOT you. SAA is hurting South Africans way more than the advantages it offers.
Está servira para distraerle.
Yes indeed, let's not allow this thread to disintegrate into the vulgarity of a whose Derringer is bigger than than whose type slanging match. One might as well say then that as SAA is run by major big time crooks so also all employees of the company are crumb driven bottom feeding gangsters.
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The attitude displayed by the two SAA employees fits with the general SAA experience. The philosophy is that the airline exist to please them and if the customers don't like it then who really cares. The common thread starts with their incredibly frustrating booking system, is mirrored by the gum chewing surly check-in staff and continues through the rest of the painful experience.
To place yourselves on a pedestal and believe that anyone would be envious of your position in that place must require self delusion of the highest order. You cannot respect what is not respectable. Your expression of support means you align yourself with a corrupt, bankrupt, morally bankrupt, racist, low quality and globally irrelevant organisation. I have more respect for strippers, at least they understand the concept of adding value to the customer experience.
The only positive thing I can say about SAA is that if you need to get somewhere urgently you can rely on there being space on an SAA flight. Public loathing is so intense that it has become the airline of last resort for many, regardless of cost or convenience.
To place yourselves on a pedestal and believe that anyone would be envious of your position in that place must require self delusion of the highest order. You cannot respect what is not respectable. Your expression of support means you align yourself with a corrupt, bankrupt, morally bankrupt, racist, low quality and globally irrelevant organisation. I have more respect for strippers, at least they understand the concept of adding value to the customer experience.
The only positive thing I can say about SAA is that if you need to get somewhere urgently you can rely on there being space on an SAA flight. Public loathing is so intense that it has become the airline of last resort for many, regardless of cost or convenience.
Last edited by WhinerLiner; 22nd May 2014 at 07:38.
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SAA will continue to exist for as long as it serves the need of those for whom it provides sheltered privileged employment and subsidised transport, that is to say the ANC and those who lick the ANC's collective backside.
It will continue to be funded regardless of losses for as long as SARS collect tax from the dwindling tax base. Now, about that tax base :
2.181 million registered taxpayers contributed less than 2.25% of total personal income tax.
Personal Income Tax represents roughly 34% of SA’s total tax revenue.
859 000 taxpayers paid 53% of total personal income tax
Less than 5% of the SA labour force pay more than 50% of personal income tax. This means that less than 1.75% of the country’s entire population pays more than 50% of personal income tax, and clearly a substantial portion of VAT, excise duties, import duties, and the fuel levy.
I do not think it necessary to comment on the iniquity and unfairness that the above exposes.
As regards SAA's service, it varies from outstandingly good to frighteningly bad and seems determined by the attitude of the crews. There is no consistency.
It will continue to be funded regardless of losses for as long as SARS collect tax from the dwindling tax base. Now, about that tax base :
2.181 million registered taxpayers contributed less than 2.25% of total personal income tax.
Personal Income Tax represents roughly 34% of SA’s total tax revenue.
859 000 taxpayers paid 53% of total personal income tax
Less than 5% of the SA labour force pay more than 50% of personal income tax. This means that less than 1.75% of the country’s entire population pays more than 50% of personal income tax, and clearly a substantial portion of VAT, excise duties, import duties, and the fuel levy.
I do not think it necessary to comment on the iniquity and unfairness that the above exposes.
As regards SAA's service, it varies from outstandingly good to frighteningly bad and seems determined by the attitude of the crews. There is no consistency.
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Originally Posted by olirindis
All of you having a go at SAA here are frankly upset that you didn't get offered a flight deck seat here for whatever reason.
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The good folk from the ANC and their buddies must travel in style and comfort on the nice new shiny toys paid for by the taxpayer, that is only right and proper.
SAA offers 975 seats a day on its two daily returns JNB-LHR. So 1,000 a day = PLF 105%, but maybe they include the crew.
he noted the airline flies about 1,000 passengers per day between the two cities.
South African Airways is planning to introduce premium economy seating, Business Traveller can reveal.
First, the carrier will announce the new aircraft types it will be ordering for its fleet ahead of its move into London Heathrow Terminal 2 on October 22.
Gary Kershaw, SAA's UK and Ireland general manager, said the new aircraft will either be Airbus A350s or a mix of Boeing B777s and B787s.
But he told Business Traveller that the planes will be fitted with a new premium economy class product — "a massive oppportunity for us" — no matter which aircraft manufacturer is selected.
With the new aircraft not expected to join the fleet until 2017 or 2018, passengers may be dismayed at the thought of waiting so long for a seat that will bridge the gap.
However, Kershaw also said that SAA would likely retrofit existing aircraft before this point with a premium economy product and confirmed that it would "definitely [appear] on the London route", depending on which of its A330-200s and A340-300s would stay in service longer.
SAA economy class seats offer 31-34 inches of legroom, while business class is fitted with fully flat beds in a 2-2-2 configuration with a 73-inch pitch. Kershaw added that it costs around US$15 million to retrofit an entire plane, so the decision would need to be made wisely.
South African Airways currently serves Johannesburg direct from London Heathrow double daily, with 48 connections per day to and from Cape Town, but has no new routes confirmed, said Kershaw.
He added: "We are pretty static," although he noted the airline flies about 1,000 passengers per day between the two cities.
Dishes on the LHR-JNB route will include Loch Fyne Scottish smoked salmon; grilled cod from Iceland with saffron velouté, baby carrots and mushy peas; handmade truffle tortellini with grilled artichoke and Parmesan (vegetarian option); braised beef cheek with horseradish purée and summer vegetables; and passion fruit tiramisu for premium passengers.
.......The new meals must be really captivating and well crafted in order to delight our customers travelling for both business and leisure purposes."
First, the carrier will announce the new aircraft types it will be ordering for its fleet ahead of its move into London Heathrow Terminal 2 on October 22.
Gary Kershaw, SAA's UK and Ireland general manager, said the new aircraft will either be Airbus A350s or a mix of Boeing B777s and B787s.
But he told Business Traveller that the planes will be fitted with a new premium economy class product — "a massive oppportunity for us" — no matter which aircraft manufacturer is selected.
With the new aircraft not expected to join the fleet until 2017 or 2018, passengers may be dismayed at the thought of waiting so long for a seat that will bridge the gap.
However, Kershaw also said that SAA would likely retrofit existing aircraft before this point with a premium economy product and confirmed that it would "definitely [appear] on the London route", depending on which of its A330-200s and A340-300s would stay in service longer.
SAA economy class seats offer 31-34 inches of legroom, while business class is fitted with fully flat beds in a 2-2-2 configuration with a 73-inch pitch. Kershaw added that it costs around US$15 million to retrofit an entire plane, so the decision would need to be made wisely.
South African Airways currently serves Johannesburg direct from London Heathrow double daily, with 48 connections per day to and from Cape Town, but has no new routes confirmed, said Kershaw.
He added: "We are pretty static," although he noted the airline flies about 1,000 passengers per day between the two cities.
Dishes on the LHR-JNB route will include Loch Fyne Scottish smoked salmon; grilled cod from Iceland with saffron velouté, baby carrots and mushy peas; handmade truffle tortellini with grilled artichoke and Parmesan (vegetarian option); braised beef cheek with horseradish purée and summer vegetables; and passion fruit tiramisu for premium passengers.
.......The new meals must be really captivating and well crafted in order to delight our customers travelling for both business and leisure purposes."
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I hope you guys bitch and moan as much about the Arms Deal, Escom, Telcom, Etolls, the SAAF, the Gupta's, Zuma's 12 wives, Zwelentini's 6, Malema, and the Blue Light Brigade as much as you do about SAA!
As maddening as it may seem, at least our tax dollars are still being spent on a company that can claim to employ some of the best trained pilots in the industry.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is STILL good for our industry. (Though admittedly not ideal.)
Do you think for a moment that if SAA closed down tomorrow you'd see ANY saving on your tax dollar? Think again! Zuma would blow it all on the next Nkandla renovation. Personally I'd rather my tax go into my industry, where I can see it - than into Zuma's back pocket, where I can't. But that's just me. Maybe you guys trust Zuma. But I certainly don't.
As maddening as it may seem, at least our tax dollars are still being spent on a company that can claim to employ some of the best trained pilots in the industry.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is STILL good for our industry. (Though admittedly not ideal.)
Do you think for a moment that if SAA closed down tomorrow you'd see ANY saving on your tax dollar? Think again! Zuma would blow it all on the next Nkandla renovation. Personally I'd rather my tax go into my industry, where I can see it - than into Zuma's back pocket, where I can't. But that's just me. Maybe you guys trust Zuma. But I certainly don't.
Last edited by congoman; 27th Jul 2014 at 19:13.
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To put it into context - the following was copied from the previous page. It was written by Mr John Scott of the Cape Times. What follows below this article is a response that has been sent to both Mr Scott and the Cape Times.
----------------------------------------------------
A cunning plan to promote fear of flying the national airline
SA Airways don’t really want us as passengers. I think they would prefer it if we boycotted them and used other airlines instead.
This would enable them to shut down entirely, stop paying departing chief executives huge golden handshakes, and put an end to their annual losses.
Naturally they will deny this is their intention, but why scrap the direct Cape Town-to-London flight if not to chase all those travellers with an aversion to changing planes in Johannesburg into the arms of BA?
Now SAA have thought of a new stratagem to get rid of everyone with the faintest fear of flying. They want to reduce the number of flying hours necessary for a new second-level officer to sit in the cockpit from 1 500 to 250. The idea is that this will make it easier for black men and women to become pilots.
At present some 90 percent of SAA pilots are white which airline director Andile Khumalo called “a congress of white boys”. Personally I don’t mind whether they’re a congress of white, black or blue boys, or even green girls for that matter, so long as they’ve got a lot more flying hours under their belts than a mere 10 overseas return trips.
SAA’s present chief, Monwabisi Kalawe, said the 250-hour guys and gals would sit in the cockpit “to gain the necessary experience”.
Not while I’m in the passenger cabin, they won’t. I demand that everyone controlling my plane is fully experienced, and not in the process of becoming thereof. The last thing I want to do is put my life in the hands of someone doing a crash course.
What about painting a big L for learner on the fuselage of those aircraft with rookies who are still learning the difference between a joystick and a jackstaff? Watching them land and take off at the airport could provide a good Sunday afternoon’s entertainment for those viewers who are fortunate enough not to have family or friends on board.
Travel agents should also be able to warn clients whether the plane they are booking has any 250-hour pilots within reach of harm.
Like Chris Zweigenthal, head of the Airways Association of Southern Africa, we passengers need to know what these so-called second officers’ duties and responsibilities would be.
Would they just sit decoratively in the cockpit and draw a nice salary, or would they fiddle around with the instruments panel and press various knobs to see what then happened?
Worse, would they occasionally be given the controls and told to “take over”?
The good news for nervous travellers is that Cape Town International Airport has once again been voted the best in Africa, so they are pretty safe on the ground as long as they don’t take off above it.
And now if they want to fly to Sydney, they may no longer do so via SAA because the Australian airline Qantas has terminated its code-share agreement with SAA. This will save them having to worry about the flying hours of the cockpit crew. SAA-booked flights to Perth will however continue, for those still keen to reach the most isolated large city in the world, whatever the risks.
But with luck SAA will fly fewer and fewer routes, until there are none left and even the most dare-devil patriots will be forced to travel on other countries’ airlines.
------------------------------------
Greetings Mr Scott
I stumbled across your article which I believe was published in one of the newspapers some time ago already.
I'm one of the "congress of white guys" flying at SAA.
I've been flying as a pilot for 35 years. 27 of those years at SAA. 17 of them as a captain.
And the last 10 as a senior training captain within the training department of the Airbus A340/330 fleet at SAA.
I come from a newspaper family background with my father serving many years on the staff as chief sub-editor of the Rand Daily Mail, Sunday Times, Sunday Express and the Citizen. No doubt you'll be familiar with many of his friends and colleagues like Rex Gibson, Kerry Swift, Tertius Myburgh and Kit Katzin to name a few.
I mention this only to explain that I am thoroughly familiar with the technique journalists use to distort the truth in order to spice up a story. "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story," was an adage I grew up with. It caused some heated discussions in my household I can tell you.
Regarding your article. No offense, but it's a little too far removed from the truth to warrant it being ignored as just another one of those badly researched blogs. I can assure you that no life-respecting airline captain would dare consider what your article suggests. And a little disingenuous to assume that we would. We aren't dealing with a profession that tolerates mediocrity here. Unlike most other professions, our mistakes cost lives. The innocent - as well as our own.
You won't find those consequences in politics, journalism, accountancy or the legal profession. Where indeed these days, mediocrity seems to be the order of the day.
Like every profession in South Africa today, our industry, along with yours, faces serious challenges regarding BEE. And rather than tolerate a degradation of standards, along with the deadly consequences that would risk - we have chosen to take a pro-active approach and expose selected, promising, and talented individuals to an accelerated training program that would otherwise not have been available to them. None of this training exposes our airline, our passengers, or indeed ourselves, to any danger whatsoever. The primary crew remains in control of the aircraft at all times of the flight and the second officer position you are referring to involves no physical flying of the aircraft whatsoever. (Let alone getting to do a takeoff or landing.) The only physical flying the second officer is exposed to, is in the flight simulator - where ALL pilots spend a great deal of their time doing conversion and recurrency training on a regular basis.
The task of flying an aircraft across the world involves a lot more than simply the physical duties of flying the aircraft. It involves crew teamwork, risk management, standard operating procedures and airline indoctrination, as well as a myriad of other aspects in a highly complex and technical arena. It's towards these aspects that our focus is directed. The public is unaware of the rigors and demands of this industry and are understandably concerned when misinformation is circulated in the media. Who can blame them. With what we read in the newspapers and watch at the movies.
In the interests of circulating the true story I would be happy to host you and your colleagues to a simulator training session when the opportunity presents itself.
In the interim, my colleagues and I can assure you - and the public, that we STILL train our pilots to the highest standards in the world. Why wouldn't we? After-all, on an aircraft, ALL our lives are at stake.
(I have no objection should you wish to publish this response.)
----------------------------------------------------
A cunning plan to promote fear of flying the national airline
SA Airways don’t really want us as passengers. I think they would prefer it if we boycotted them and used other airlines instead.
This would enable them to shut down entirely, stop paying departing chief executives huge golden handshakes, and put an end to their annual losses.
Naturally they will deny this is their intention, but why scrap the direct Cape Town-to-London flight if not to chase all those travellers with an aversion to changing planes in Johannesburg into the arms of BA?
Now SAA have thought of a new stratagem to get rid of everyone with the faintest fear of flying. They want to reduce the number of flying hours necessary for a new second-level officer to sit in the cockpit from 1 500 to 250. The idea is that this will make it easier for black men and women to become pilots.
At present some 90 percent of SAA pilots are white which airline director Andile Khumalo called “a congress of white boys”. Personally I don’t mind whether they’re a congress of white, black or blue boys, or even green girls for that matter, so long as they’ve got a lot more flying hours under their belts than a mere 10 overseas return trips.
SAA’s present chief, Monwabisi Kalawe, said the 250-hour guys and gals would sit in the cockpit “to gain the necessary experience”.
Not while I’m in the passenger cabin, they won’t. I demand that everyone controlling my plane is fully experienced, and not in the process of becoming thereof. The last thing I want to do is put my life in the hands of someone doing a crash course.
What about painting a big L for learner on the fuselage of those aircraft with rookies who are still learning the difference between a joystick and a jackstaff? Watching them land and take off at the airport could provide a good Sunday afternoon’s entertainment for those viewers who are fortunate enough not to have family or friends on board.
Travel agents should also be able to warn clients whether the plane they are booking has any 250-hour pilots within reach of harm.
Like Chris Zweigenthal, head of the Airways Association of Southern Africa, we passengers need to know what these so-called second officers’ duties and responsibilities would be.
Would they just sit decoratively in the cockpit and draw a nice salary, or would they fiddle around with the instruments panel and press various knobs to see what then happened?
Worse, would they occasionally be given the controls and told to “take over”?
The good news for nervous travellers is that Cape Town International Airport has once again been voted the best in Africa, so they are pretty safe on the ground as long as they don’t take off above it.
And now if they want to fly to Sydney, they may no longer do so via SAA because the Australian airline Qantas has terminated its code-share agreement with SAA. This will save them having to worry about the flying hours of the cockpit crew. SAA-booked flights to Perth will however continue, for those still keen to reach the most isolated large city in the world, whatever the risks.
But with luck SAA will fly fewer and fewer routes, until there are none left and even the most dare-devil patriots will be forced to travel on other countries’ airlines.
------------------------------------
Greetings Mr Scott
I stumbled across your article which I believe was published in one of the newspapers some time ago already.
I'm one of the "congress of white guys" flying at SAA.
I've been flying as a pilot for 35 years. 27 of those years at SAA. 17 of them as a captain.
And the last 10 as a senior training captain within the training department of the Airbus A340/330 fleet at SAA.
I come from a newspaper family background with my father serving many years on the staff as chief sub-editor of the Rand Daily Mail, Sunday Times, Sunday Express and the Citizen. No doubt you'll be familiar with many of his friends and colleagues like Rex Gibson, Kerry Swift, Tertius Myburgh and Kit Katzin to name a few.
I mention this only to explain that I am thoroughly familiar with the technique journalists use to distort the truth in order to spice up a story. "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story," was an adage I grew up with. It caused some heated discussions in my household I can tell you.
Regarding your article. No offense, but it's a little too far removed from the truth to warrant it being ignored as just another one of those badly researched blogs. I can assure you that no life-respecting airline captain would dare consider what your article suggests. And a little disingenuous to assume that we would. We aren't dealing with a profession that tolerates mediocrity here. Unlike most other professions, our mistakes cost lives. The innocent - as well as our own.
You won't find those consequences in politics, journalism, accountancy or the legal profession. Where indeed these days, mediocrity seems to be the order of the day.
Like every profession in South Africa today, our industry, along with yours, faces serious challenges regarding BEE. And rather than tolerate a degradation of standards, along with the deadly consequences that would risk - we have chosen to take a pro-active approach and expose selected, promising, and talented individuals to an accelerated training program that would otherwise not have been available to them. None of this training exposes our airline, our passengers, or indeed ourselves, to any danger whatsoever. The primary crew remains in control of the aircraft at all times of the flight and the second officer position you are referring to involves no physical flying of the aircraft whatsoever. (Let alone getting to do a takeoff or landing.) The only physical flying the second officer is exposed to, is in the flight simulator - where ALL pilots spend a great deal of their time doing conversion and recurrency training on a regular basis.
The task of flying an aircraft across the world involves a lot more than simply the physical duties of flying the aircraft. It involves crew teamwork, risk management, standard operating procedures and airline indoctrination, as well as a myriad of other aspects in a highly complex and technical arena. It's towards these aspects that our focus is directed. The public is unaware of the rigors and demands of this industry and are understandably concerned when misinformation is circulated in the media. Who can blame them. With what we read in the newspapers and watch at the movies.
In the interests of circulating the true story I would be happy to host you and your colleagues to a simulator training session when the opportunity presents itself.
In the interim, my colleagues and I can assure you - and the public, that we STILL train our pilots to the highest standards in the world. Why wouldn't we? After-all, on an aircraft, ALL our lives are at stake.
(I have no objection should you wish to publish this response.)
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Not a cent of your tax money is spent on SAA. The SA Gov hasn't put any money into SAA for many years (that is the problem). The Gov 'bailouts' that everyone bitches about are guarantees for loans that SAA got from commercial banks (Nedbank for one). So all of you bitching about your waisted tax money can remove or amend your posts.
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Firstly the last bit of state assistance may have been in the form of a guarantee but for oh so many years SAA's annual pilgrimage with begging bowl in one hand and yet another 'turn around' plan in the other has been rewarded with the ca-ching sound of my tax money.
Ah yes, a guarantee is of course completely different to a bailout. When the hopelessly insolvent airline defaults shortly then what? Also why should that dog show get funding at a preferential rate which they then spend in a price war with the competition.
Anyway, not long to wait before another years abysmal results are published along with the pathetic excuse as to why the hole is ever deeper. Word in the ether is that they even they might find this years loss to be embarrassing.
Divinehover, I hope you hang on to your job at SAA, life in the real world will be a difficult adjustment.
Ah yes, a guarantee is of course completely different to a bailout. When the hopelessly insolvent airline defaults shortly then what? Also why should that dog show get funding at a preferential rate which they then spend in a price war with the competition.
Anyway, not long to wait before another years abysmal results are published along with the pathetic excuse as to why the hole is ever deeper. Word in the ether is that they even they might find this years loss to be embarrassing.
Divinehover, I hope you hang on to your job at SAA, life in the real world will be a difficult adjustment.
Pieter Booyens dedicated 31 years to South Africa Airways as a pilot, and now that he is on pension, he is struggling to pay his rent and his mounting medical bills.
For him, the R80 billion class action by more than 62 000 pensioners against Transnet is long overdue.
The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria last week gave staff the go-ahead to pursue the action against Transnet and its two pension funds.
Two pensioners - Johan Pretorius and Johan Kruger - told the court that thousands of former Transnet employees had to survive for nearly 10 years with just a 2 percent annual increase in funds.
The pensioners are seeking through the class action to compel Transnet - backed by a guarantee from the state - to pay a pension deficit which existed in 1990 payable to Transnet Second Benefit Fund and the Transport Pension Fund. SAA is a subsidiary of Transnet.
The case is expected in court before the end of the year. In the meantime, Booyens struggles to make ends meet.
“My whole family worked for SAA. My parents, three brothers and myself,” he said.
“I was a senior officer who flew jumbo jets for years. After 31 years of service I went on pension and I now have no medical aid or any way of supporting myself.” He retired 24 years ago.
Booyens, 74, from uMhlanga Rocks in KwaZulu-Natal, receives a R4 500 pension each month, which is not even enough to pay for his accommodation or medical bills.
“I have been living in my house for years and now cannot pay rates or levies. The bank has threatened to repossess it.”
His problems became worse last year when he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease. “I now have to use a wheelchair and I cannot even afford to go to the doctor.
“I have spent my life flying jets and have now turned into a beggar. People do not believe that I was once a pilot.”
He said his parents faced similar financial problems when they retired.
“They were both given a lump-sum payout of R1 600 when they retired and no pension after that. That was 20 years ago. I had to take care of them until they died.”
Booyens said he was struggling because of his medical condition.
“I do not have medical aid. I am in dire straits. If I want to fly to Cape Town, they can give me a free ticket, but what am I going to do with that if I cannot even pay my medical bills?
“It is pathetic to live like this,” Booyens said.
For him, the R80 billion class action by more than 62 000 pensioners against Transnet is long overdue.
The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria last week gave staff the go-ahead to pursue the action against Transnet and its two pension funds.
Two pensioners - Johan Pretorius and Johan Kruger - told the court that thousands of former Transnet employees had to survive for nearly 10 years with just a 2 percent annual increase in funds.
The pensioners are seeking through the class action to compel Transnet - backed by a guarantee from the state - to pay a pension deficit which existed in 1990 payable to Transnet Second Benefit Fund and the Transport Pension Fund. SAA is a subsidiary of Transnet.
The case is expected in court before the end of the year. In the meantime, Booyens struggles to make ends meet.
“My whole family worked for SAA. My parents, three brothers and myself,” he said.
“I was a senior officer who flew jumbo jets for years. After 31 years of service I went on pension and I now have no medical aid or any way of supporting myself.” He retired 24 years ago.
Booyens, 74, from uMhlanga Rocks in KwaZulu-Natal, receives a R4 500 pension each month, which is not even enough to pay for his accommodation or medical bills.
“I have been living in my house for years and now cannot pay rates or levies. The bank has threatened to repossess it.”
His problems became worse last year when he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease. “I now have to use a wheelchair and I cannot even afford to go to the doctor.
“I have spent my life flying jets and have now turned into a beggar. People do not believe that I was once a pilot.”
He said his parents faced similar financial problems when they retired.
“They were both given a lump-sum payout of R1 600 when they retired and no pension after that. That was 20 years ago. I had to take care of them until they died.”
Booyens said he was struggling because of his medical condition.
“I do not have medical aid. I am in dire straits. If I want to fly to Cape Town, they can give me a free ticket, but what am I going to do with that if I cannot even pay my medical bills?
“It is pathetic to live like this,” Booyens said.
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It's not just about the bailouts/guarantees, and as stated by Fuzzy Lager, the difference between the two in this context is pure semantics, it's about the the complete and utter waste of government (= tax payers') money on useless redundant staff who are political appointees, and on the spill of commercial passengers when premium cabins are full of ANC arselickers travelling on free and rebated tickets.
For as long as the ANC continues to treat SAA as its private taxi service, and for as long as it allocates jobs on the basis of race and politics rather than on competence, suitability, and experience, it will forever be a black hole for taxpayers' money.
For as long as the ANC continues to treat SAA as its private taxi service, and for as long as it allocates jobs on the basis of race and politics rather than on competence, suitability, and experience, it will forever be a black hole for taxpayers' money.
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Guarantee vs bailout
SAA lost more than R3bn for the year ended March 2014 and word has it another R1bn in the first 3 months of this financial year. A guarantee does not come for free and represents cash that government could have used for more pressing social needs as guarantees must always be covered by cash; a guarantee equals cash equals a bailout. The only reason their 2014 financials are not available yet is due to the fact that the auditors will have to qualify it without further support from government. A qualification will have terrible consequences for its debt and leases - a big mess really.
Do not forget about that SAX, SAX is bankrupt, owes SAA at least R350 million according to the 2013 financials, cannot pay its debts despite government support in the form of cash and guarantees of R1.3bn in the last 5 years.
A vicious cycle of incompetence at the detriment of the industry whichever way you look at it.
Do not forget about that SAX, SAX is bankrupt, owes SAA at least R350 million according to the 2013 financials, cannot pay its debts despite government support in the form of cash and guarantees of R1.3bn in the last 5 years.
A vicious cycle of incompetence at the detriment of the industry whichever way you look at it.
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As a regular visitor from the UK can anyone explain to me why they cancelled the LHR-CPT route? Surely it wasn't just to raise cash from selling the slots!
As we always fly BA it's obviously hit us in our pockets because during 8 months of the year BA have no competition. The 3 additional weekly flights during your winter are nearly always full, as is the already existing daily service.
As we always fly BA it's obviously hit us in our pockets because during 8 months of the year BA have no competition. The 3 additional weekly flights during your winter are nearly always full, as is the already existing daily service.