Suspended South African Airways (SAA) acting chief executive officer Matshela Seshibe was the subject of an anonymous whistleblower report, the Sunday Times has learnt.
While it is not clear what the whistleblower report is about, three sources with knowledge of developments at the embattled state-owned airline said it related to procurement and Seshibe’s time at SAA subsidiary Air Chefs, where he has been chief executive since 2024.
Seshibe was announced as acting CEO four months ago, following the sudden resignation of then CEO John Lamola. On Saturday he refused to be drawn to discuss the detail of the allegations, saying it would be disrespectful to SAA and its board.
“I am aware that SAA is conducting an internal process relating to matters arising from my tenure as CEO of Air Chefs, and I have been asked to take special leave while that process is under way,” he said via a statement on Saturday night.
“At this stage, the precise allegations have not been formally put to me. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to speculate about them or attempt to respond to allegations that I have not yet had an opportunity to consider.”
Seshibe, a seasoned executive with experience across several sectors prior to joining aviation, was placed on special leave by SAA’s board of directors on Friday pending conclusion of an “internal process”. The board said SAA’s chief legal officer, Koekie Mbeki, would act in the intervening period.
The sensational announcement plunged the national carrier into fresh leadership turmoil, marking its third CEO change in four months
“The decision reflects the board’s unwavering commitment to the highest standards of good governance, accountability, integrity and leadership. It is also consistent with the Board’s responsibility to safeguard the interests of SAA, its employees, customers, partners and other stakeholders while ensuring that the organisation continues to operate with stability and confidence,” the board statement said.
Board chairperson Sedzanu Mudau said: “We recognise the responsibility entrusted to us and will continue to act decisively and in the best interests of the airline and all of its stakeholders”.
The sensational announcement plunged the national carrier into fresh leadership turmoil, marking its third CEO change in four months.
Air Chefs is SAA’s subsidiary responsible for in-flight catering, responsible for preparing and providing meals, beverages, and cabin equipment services.
They design and prepare menus for all cabin classes, and manage the packing, loading, and offloading of aircraft bar carts, snacks, blankets, and headsets.
Just days before Seshibe’s suspension, TimesLIVE revealed that laboratory testing had detected Listeria monocytogenes in beef pastrami processed by Air Chefs and served in passenger meals, airport lounges, and the airline’s corporate canteen.
While SAA insisted the contaminated batches were quarantined and destroyed, the carrier faced fierce backlash over disclosures that Air Chefs management required staff to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) regarding the incident.
The department of health confirmed it had not received mandatory notification of the positive test results and initiated an investigation.
Lamola, who had steered the airline through its post-business rescue recovery and was appointed permanent CEO by the cabinet only a year earlier, left unexpectedly amid growing friction over group strategy and deepening audit scrutiny.
Seshibe is no stranger to allegations involving procurement irregularities, having left Public Investment Corporation-owned Daybreak Farms after being cleared of similar allegations
His exit coincided with severe fallout over the airline’s financial disclosures.
After publicly celebrating an apparent return to profitability following years of state bailouts, SAA faced intense criticism when subsequent scrutiny revealed the carrier had restated and effectively retracted claimed profits to reflect underlying operating losses.
The auditor-general issued a disclaimer audit opinion on the group’s financial statements, flagging hundreds of millions of rands in irregular expenditure and accounting anomalies, including one-off asset disposals and slot sales that masked severe operational deficits.
Civil society groups and aviation analysts had previously cautioned against Seshibe’s elevation to group CEO, citing past governance disputes and questions over whether the airline’s executive vetting met required standards.
Seshibe is also no stranger to allegations involving procurement irregularities, having left Public Investment Corporation-owned Daybreak Farms after being cleared of similar allegations.
He had been suspended after allegations of irregular payment approvals and alleged spying on the Daybreak board of directors, but cleared by an independent forensic investigation which found the whistleblower reports to be fabricated and malicious. At the time of the allegations Seshibe had placed several senior officials on suspension, and had managed to stabilise out of control expenses at the chicken producer.
Since joining Air Chefs in 2024, the executive had begun a turnaround that has seen Air Chefs become the only SAA subsidiary that made a profit, and also led steady improvement in its audit outcomes, which moved from disclaimer since the financial year that ended in 2019 to its first qualified outcome in the last financial year.
That has not come easily though as the business has subjected employees to disciplinary action, including suspension, prior to Seshibe’s move to the group in April.
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