Trade unions want govt to clarify Mango future

The Mango Pilots Association (MPA), the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) have filed an urgent application with the High Court in Johannesburg to place the airline under business rescue.

The application is set to be heard on Tuesday.

The unions believe the department has no intention of keeping Mango in the sky.

Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says the airline does not have sufficient cash reserves.

“Failure by the Department of Public Enterprises to provide funding has placed its future in jeopardy.

“What has not been clear until now is why SAA, as Mango’s shareholder, so desperately needs the unions to withdraw their urgent business rescue application?

“Based on their actions we can presume the SAA board and the DPE have decided that Mango must die, so that Lift, its competitor can dominate as a low cost carrier. Global Airways is a partner of the Takatso consortium, which is due to take over at SAA.”

The unions have also accused SAA interim CEO Thomas Kgokolo of deliberately withholding shareholder funding from SAA to Mango to pay staff salaries.  

“We will not be intimidated by these underhanded tactics; we will have our day in court. Now that the shareholder’s true intentions are clear, it is even more imperative that we have a seat at the table in the business rescue process. We will not give up.

“The unions have invited all creditors to join their application and the response has been extremely positive with several creditors joining us in our application.”

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