SA flying on wing and a prayer

The Johannesburg Labour Court has dismissed a joint urgent application by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA and the SA Cabin Crew Association to halt job cuts at SAA, ruling the airline had not contemplated dismissals. (Photo by Gallo Images/Jacques Stander) South Africa has been ranked among the safest aviation jurisdictions in the world, but questions remain about a string of aviation events over the past five years. The SA Civil Aviation Authority said this week the country had achieved a preliminary score of 95.12% after an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit, placing South Africa eighth globally and first in Africa.

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said in a statement that this reflected the strength of the systems the country has in place, while South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) director Poppy Khoza said it was further supported by more than four decades of aviation without a fatal commercial airline accident. An aviation professional, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals from the regulator, said while it is a strong result, it does not erase the awkward questions left by a string of serious aviation events involving SAA, FlySafair and even the regulator’s own aircraft in the past five years. In January 2020, a Cessna S550 Citation SII owned and operated by the authority crashed in Georgia while being used to calibrate airport runway equipment.

Captain Thabiso Tolo, first officer Tebogo Lekalakala and flight inspector Gugu Mnguni died. Sacaa’s initial report cited pilot error, but an Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau probe, requested after families pushed for an independent investigation, also alleged maintenance and regulatory shortcomings. It found that the aircraft had not been properly maintained, had no valid certificate of airworthiness, and was not suitable for the crew to fly.

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Sacaa rejected the Ethiopian report, saying it contained “gross mistakes and inaccurate references”. The Ethiopian team also recommended that accident investigations be independent from state aviation authorities and other bodies that could interfere with objectivity. It is an ICAO requirement, but to date, South Africa has not complied to the letter, with SACAA still in control of the accident investigation division. The George crash in particular, said the aviation insider, involved the regulator as operator.

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