Is this the equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the USA ? If so then current domestic creditors are kept at bay for what's owing at the moment but future purchases will be cash upfront and I doubt the law would apply outside South Africa, if for example a UK maintenance company applied for a court order to impound an SAA aircraft in respect of overdue debts.

It is not entirely apples to apples comparison as for example Lufthansa Group is not just a bunch of airlines but also non-airline related subsidiaries like LSG Catering which is a 35k staff alone and then LH Technics which is a major MRO doing lots of 3rd party work - another 20k people there plus few notable others, while Wizzair is a purely operating airline = back office+pilots+cabin crew and everything else is outsourced.

With the festive season almost upon us, has there been any cheer for the staff, have they been paid?

Yes, salaries were paid in two amounts, the 2nd a couple of days late than usual.