SAA acting CEO appointment labelled ‘clusterf**k’ by aviation insiders
· Citizen
The appointment of Air Chefs catering boss Matshela Seshibe as acting CEO of South African Airways (SAA) has immediately come under sharp criticism, with questions raised about his track record.
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Chief executive Wayne Duvenage of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) called it “cadre deployment on steroids” while an aviation professional called it a complete and utter “clusterf**k” on social media.
Seshibe’s previous controversial employment at Daybreak Farms has come under renewed scrutiny following the appointment. He was suspended from the Public Investment Corporation (PIC)-funded poultry producer in late 2022 amid allegations of authorising millions of rand in irregular payments.
While subsequent reports suggested he may have been cleared of wrongdoing, the suspension formed part of a broader governance review into irregularities.
The rationale ‘boggles the mind’
Outa’s Duvenage questioned both the process and the suitability of the appointment, arguing that Air Chefs is a catering subsidiary, and Seshibe lacks the aviation expertise required to operate in a highly complex and competitive industry.
He said Seshibe “didn’t last long” at Daybreak Farms and left “under a cloud of allegations”. He added that Seshibe had been brought into Daybreak to stabilise a struggling entity, but instead “perpetuated poor governance and deepened the crisis”.
He also said the rationale behind the appointment “boggles the mind”, raising concerns about Seshibe’s association with the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation and suggested it points to politically influenced appointments despite the president signing a bill to professionalise the public service last week.
Duvenage called on Transport Minister Barbara Creecy to intervene and demand answers from what’s left of the SAA board, warning that the situation felt like “déjà vu”.
“It’s a hot mess,” he said, adding that he’d also not be surprised if outgoing SAA CEO Professor John Lamola pursued action at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) if he had been pushed out of the struggling flag carrier.
Seshibe’s aviation experience questioned
Aviation analyst Guy Leitch said the situation was “extremely concerning”, noting an apparent lack of succession planning at the airline. He said the appointment of an acting CEO was likely to be prolonged, making the appointment of Seshibe even more questionable.
“It’s all the more strange that they appointed someone with zero aviation experience, whose role to date has been to run the least important SAA subsidiary,” Leitch said.
‘The future is dark, very dark’
Industry reaction has also been swift on aviation forums. On the FlyAfrica private Facebook group, several aviation professionals criticised the move, with one remarking sarcastically: “A chicken company executive with zero aviation experience. You didn’t know that chickens can actually fly? Not so good but they can fly. That will tick the box for aviation experience.”
Another warned of internal instability, saying: “It’s worrying. There are some good people there, and they could be jobless again soon. The future is dark, very dark.”
Further commentary on the forum pointed to Seshibe’s relatively short tenure within the SAA group, noting that he has been with Air Chefs for less than two years, following short roles at Coca-Cola and Daybreak Farms.
One contributor described the appointment as “deeply concerning”, citing Daybreak Farms’ decline during his tenure and raising questions about governance and oversight.
“What a clusterf**k! A chicken company executive, with zero aviation experience coming in to drive SAA 2.0.”