Acting SAA CEO Matshela Seshibe has been put on immediate special leave. (Illustrative image: Joel Seboa / Daily Maverick) In a statement on Friday, 14 August, the board of South African Airways (SAA) announced a major leadership change, resolving to place the acting group chief executive officer, Matshela Seshibe, on special leave with immediate effect, pending the outcome of an internal process.
The rationale for this unexpected turn of events is interesting because the statement says that this decision was not a statement of guilt, but rather a protective governance measure.
In its words, the decision reflected the board’s “unwavering commitment to the highest standards of good governance, accountability, integrity and leadership”.
The board is also choosing to frame the move as an essential step under its fiduciary duty to “safeguard the interests of SAA, its employees, customers, partners and other stakeholders while ensuring that the organisation continues to operate with stability and confidence”.
Or, in the chairperson’s quote:
“We recognise the responsibility entrusted to us and will continue to act decisively and in the best interests of the airline and all of its stakeholders.”
Contingency plans
To maintain operational continuity during the investigation, the board immediately appointed SAA’s chief legal officer, Koekie Mbeki, as the new acting CEO.
The board said its decision was based on Mbeki’s deep institutional experience, having served at SAA for 10 years. The board expressed absolute confidence that she would provide the necessary “leadership, continuity and stability” during this transitional phase.
This latest leadership crisis follows a turbulent few months for the airline, which has repeatedly had to issue formal denials to counter negative media coverage and address historical procurement lapses.
On 9 July 2026, SAA issued a public denial, saying that it “has not applied for, nor received, a government bailout” with regards to a R1-billion line of credit from Standard Bank.
The airline played it off as standard normalising of its financial activities, explaining that while it does not normally comment on private commercial discussions, it is “standard business practice for companies, including state-owned entities, to engage commercial banks on funding and credit facilities to support working capital, liquidity management and operational requirements”.
In that July statement, Seshibe maintained a highly disciplined front:
“SAA remains committed to prudent financial management, sound corporate governance and operational sustainability.”
The airline urged the media and public not to present speculation as fact, warning that unverified claims of state bailouts created “misleading narratives that unfairly prejudice the airline, its employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders”.
Man on fire
It’s a recurring pattern when you take into account that when Seshibe was first appointed as acting CEO in April 2026, SAA had to immediately contend with media articles dredging up old allegations from his previous corporate roles.
Before joining SAA in 2024, Seshibe had been appointed for a five-year term as CEO of Daybreak Farms (a constant headache for the Public Investment Corporation ) in May 2022. He eventually departed Daybreak. SAA and poultry industry publications confirmed that Seshibe left the poultry producer “after an internal probe cleared him of procurement-related allegations that were found to be fabricated”.
SAA issued a media statement on 20 April 2026 stating that the recycled claims had been “fully considered and conclusively resolved, with the allegations found to be without merit”.
The board affirmed it had completed exhaustive governance and due diligence processes prior to his appointment and remained “confident in his leadership, integrity, and ability to guide the organisation”.
While SAA defended Seshibe against historical allegations, the airline did not contest or deny the deeply critical supply chain management (SCM) findings issued by the Auditor-General (AGSA) for the 2024/25 financial year. Instead, the airline accepted the findings as a baseline for remediation.
The AGSA found severe SCM governance lapses, noting that SAA did not apply the required preference point system for several bids and routinely procured goods and services through processes that were not “fair, equitable, transparent and competitive”.
Among the red flags was Seshibe’s then department, SAA catering subsidiary Air Chefs, was flagged for awarding quotations to bidders who did not score the highest points and for lacking sufficient evidentiary files for awarded contracts.
While the details of the current internal process and exact reason for his suspension remain unknown, it seems that the new broom came with some old dust that may have been more difficult to shake out than expected. DM
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