Deanw
14th Oct 2005, 11:24
From Business Day of 14 October 2005:
Tender row sees another top SAA exec quit
SOUTH African Airways (SAA) has parted ways with yet another senior executive, frogmarching its head of network planning and distribution Adrian Hamilton-Manns out of his office on Tuesday for failing to stop the award of a R1,8m contract to a close relative of another senior manager.
Hamilton-Manns becomes the second senior executive to be axed by the airline in as many weeks following the firing of newly appointed chief operating officer Kryl Acton.
Although SAA said Acton “had decided to leave the company to pursue other commercial interests”, sources at the airline said Acton had also been escorted out of the SAA premises after he was stripped of his access card and other company belongings when he was axed.
About 10 other SAA managers have been suspended on various charges since Khaya Ngqula took over as CEO nearly a year ago.
Sources said yesterday that although Hamilton-Manns may not have known or participated in awarding the contract to SAA marketing head Nonhlanhla Koza’s brother, the airline’s management felt he bore the responsibility as the accounting officer of the commercial and network planning division.
Koza is on suspension pending investigation.
SAA spokeswoman Sarah Uys dismissed claims that Hamilton-Manns was fired, saying that his contract was not renewed.
She said that she was not sure whether Hamilton-Manns or SAA had decided not to renew his contract.
Hamilton-Manns confirmed yesterday that he had left SAA, but denied he was fired.
He said his two-year contract with the parastatal had come to an end and that he would not renew when it expired next month.
“I have not been fired, thankfully,” said Hamilton-Manns. The New Zealander said he was still an SAA employee and was on leave.
While SAA said the suspensions showed Ngqula’s anticorruption stance, some said that Ngqula was on a crusade to “purge” those who challenged his leadership style.
The suspended officials include human resources executive Nolwazi Qata, finance head Mark Shelly, head of procurement Dirk Du Plessis and Koza.
SAA said some of the cases would be resolved soon.
Tender row sees another top SAA exec quit
SOUTH African Airways (SAA) has parted ways with yet another senior executive, frogmarching its head of network planning and distribution Adrian Hamilton-Manns out of his office on Tuesday for failing to stop the award of a R1,8m contract to a close relative of another senior manager.
Hamilton-Manns becomes the second senior executive to be axed by the airline in as many weeks following the firing of newly appointed chief operating officer Kryl Acton.
Although SAA said Acton “had decided to leave the company to pursue other commercial interests”, sources at the airline said Acton had also been escorted out of the SAA premises after he was stripped of his access card and other company belongings when he was axed.
About 10 other SAA managers have been suspended on various charges since Khaya Ngqula took over as CEO nearly a year ago.
Sources said yesterday that although Hamilton-Manns may not have known or participated in awarding the contract to SAA marketing head Nonhlanhla Koza’s brother, the airline’s management felt he bore the responsibility as the accounting officer of the commercial and network planning division.
Koza is on suspension pending investigation.
SAA spokeswoman Sarah Uys dismissed claims that Hamilton-Manns was fired, saying that his contract was not renewed.
She said that she was not sure whether Hamilton-Manns or SAA had decided not to renew his contract.
Hamilton-Manns confirmed yesterday that he had left SAA, but denied he was fired.
He said his two-year contract with the parastatal had come to an end and that he would not renew when it expired next month.
“I have not been fired, thankfully,” said Hamilton-Manns. The New Zealander said he was still an SAA employee and was on leave.
While SAA said the suspensions showed Ngqula’s anticorruption stance, some said that Ngqula was on a crusade to “purge” those who challenged his leadership style.
The suspended officials include human resources executive Nolwazi Qata, finance head Mark Shelly, head of procurement Dirk Du Plessis and Koza.
SAA said some of the cases would be resolved soon.