Cabinet approves Lamola’s appointment as SAA CEO

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Professor John Lamola has been appointed as the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of South African Airways (SAA) for two years, Cabinet said on Thursday.

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni made the announcement at a post-Cabinet media briefing in Cape Town.

For her part, the Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy congratulated Lamola on his appointment.

“The Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, has congratulated Prof John Lamola on his appointment as Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of South African Airways (SAA), as approved by Cabinet on Wednesday, the 26th of February 2025,” the Department of Transport said in a statement.

Transport minister, Barbara Creecy, said in terms of the selection process, the candidates were ranked in order of the score that the selection panel had allocated to them as a result of their performance in both the interviews and the competency tests.

“It must be pointed out that the first recommended candidate was the CEO of one of the airlines that operates in the African continent, who was not a South African citizen. The current acting CEO, Prof Lamola, was also one of the candidates recommended as appointable,” she added.

Creecy expressed concerns regarding the potential complexities in appointing a candidate who was not a South African citizen.

This is related to a previous experience she had in the transport portfolio where a CEO of an entity
had failed to receive a maximum-security clearance based on the fact that he held a passport of another country.

She continued; “At that time, the SAA Board Chairperson advised me that all candidates were appointable and the shareholder should approve the most appropriate candidate for appointment having taken all factors into consideration.

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“Following careful consideration and taking all relevant factors into account the process was narrowed down to two candidates both of whom had the experience and qualities needed for this position. I then approached the President for advice on how to take the process further.”

Minister Creecy said that over the past two years, Prof Lamola, in his capacity as acting CEO, has steered SAA to conclude three years of outstanding audits and in the 2023 financial year to declare profits after many years of not doing so.

“In addition, under his leadership, the entity has expanded to fly domestic, regional, and international routes,” said the department.

Article sourced: SAgovNews