Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has fired four Airports Company SA (Acsa) board members, Business Day reported on Monday.
The decision to axe the four is not clear, with some reportedly believing Peters wants to "strengthen" the board, and others saying the move was designed to shield CEO Bongani Maseko.
The four directors were given notices of their immediate dismissal on Thursday, Business Day reported. The move reportedly took them by surprise, as they were readying themselves to make representations to a shareholders meeting as to why they should not be fired.
Several senior managers at Acsa have reportedly been fired recently, relating to procurement irregularities.
Ishmael Mnisi, Peters' spokesperson, told Business Day: "The minister decided to retire some members to strengthen the board with the necessary expertise/skills as identified by the [board evaluation] report to guide the company going forward. The minister will embark on the process of advertising and recruitment to fill the four vacant positions in the board with individuals with the appropriate skills set required to guide the company going forward."
Business Day previously reported that the moves against the four board members were suspicious, as Maseko was not among those disciplined for procurement issues.
Acsa and Mnisi denied that the firing of the board members had to do with Maseko.