ANC slams Mboweni SAA comments

This comes after Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, called for the national airline to be closed.

The minister was speaking at the investor conference in New York last week.

Mboweni said there is no need for the state to run an airline it cannot afford.

However, the ANC's spokesperson, Pule Mabe, says the NEC has reiterated there are no intentions to close the national carrier.

"The focus now is on decisively tackling the challenges besetting the national carrier," says Mabe.

The ANC's NEC met over the week end.

South African trade unions also slammed Mboweni's remarks to sell SAA.

Congress of South African Trade Unions' (Cosatu) Sizwe Pamla says the union finds it challenging to engage with Mboweni on economic matters.

Pamla says the issue of state-owned companies is essential and firstly needs to be discussed among the governing party's alliance partners before public pronouncements are made in public.

South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) is arguing that shutting down SAA can lead to a larger unemployment crisis in the country.

Saftu spokesperson, Patrick Craven, says the country cannot afford to see hundred more workers unemployment.