Speaker of Parliament Accedes to IFP request for urgent debate on SAA

20 November 2019

The IFP’s request to the Speaker of Parliament, Thandi Modise, in calling for an urgent debate of national importance in the National Assembly on the ongoing concerns at South African Airways (SAA) has been acceded to.

We welcome the Speaker’s decision in heeding not only our call for this debate, but the nations yearning for a return to normality in management and proper functioning at SAA.

This debate will allow all Members of Parliament to collectively and robustly debate the turnaround strategy for SAA. It will also allow the shareholder through its representative, the Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan to inform the country what corrective steps will be taken to prevent this kind of interruption in the future.

MPs will be afforded an opportunity to fne-comb governments role in ensuring that SAA is restructured and that the public will see the benefit of their money being spent on a national carrier which is able to turn budget deficits into surpluses.

Tomorrow, the National Assembly Planning Committee (NAPC) will deliberate on a date at which this debate may be scheduled in Parliament next week.

Issued by Narend Singh MP, IFP Chief Whip in Parliament, 20 November 2019