Mboweni tightens belt: No bailout for SAA, state capture commission

Mboweni tabled the budget for the upcoming financial year before the National Assembly on Wednesday. 

Mboweni initially made no mention of a bailout for the embattled national carrier and he later told media that SAA hadn’t made the cut.  

During his medium-term budget in October, Mboweni announced a R10.5 billion cash injection to help prevent the airline from crashing.  

But this time around he seems adamant not to budge.  

“There’s no allocation in this budget for SAA,” said Mboweni.  

Seemingly adamant he wouldn’t give the airline a lifeline, he didn’t completely rule it out.  

“We’ve said that the business rescue practioner has made a request of some R3.5 billion, that still has to be interrogated to check the veracity of the request. 

“As such the answer to your question, we have not come to that stage yet in this budget, in-year there’s no provision for SAA,” he added. 

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A stern Mboweni also said the commission of inquiry into state capture wouldn’t get additional funding to complete its work of investigating the alleged web of corruption in state institutions.  

This comes a day after the commission was granted an additional three months to hear testimonies from witnesses.  

Mboweni called on the commission to wrap up. 

“We made it very clear when we extended the R63 million to the commission of inquiry into state capture that as far as we were concerned that was the amount they must use to finish their work and close up and finish. 

“These perpetual extension of the inquiry into state capture it’s not really conducive. They must finish their work,” he told the media. 

Since its first sitting in August 2018, the commission has heard how some senior government officials are allegedly to blame for the rot in the public sector.  

Former president Jacob Zuma is the most prominent government official to be implicated. 

The commission has also cost taxpayers millions of rands.