State capture is directly responsible for the grounding of SA Express, public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan said. On Thursday, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) grounded the carrier citing safety concerns. Nine of the 21 aircraft belonging to SA Express were suspended.
According to TimesLive, just hours earlier, Gordhan had asked Cabinet to appoint a new board for the airline chaired by Tryphona Ramano.
In a statement, Gordhan reportedly said,
"The minister [Gordhan] has always said that the cost of the State Capture will be a challenge to reverse. Today's suspension of the airline is a classic example of the impact of corruption and malfeasance on the country's national assets.
"The Minister takes this opportunity to commit to all South Africans that all those that are involved in the malfeasance and weakening of the airline will face the necessary consequences. In conclusion‚ the Minister apologises to the committed customers of SA Express and the general public for the disruptive impact as a result of the grounding of the airline‚" the statement said.
He reportedly added that this was part of a process of recapturing state-owned enterprises, according to Eyewitness News (EWN).
He reportedly said corruption at the airline was being attended to.
"I can assure the public that we'll look into this matter, get this airline back to its feet within the next couple of weeks so that it can continue to play an important role. But crucial to this is that those who've been involved must face the consequences."
According to Business Report, this follows revelations that SA Express paid R5.7 million to the Gupta-linked Trillian Capital without following proper procedures. Gordhan reportedly said an intervention team had been dispatched to the airline to investigate and bring stability to it.