His challenger, the transport consultant, Terry Markman, bets R100 000, SAA won’t be profitable in three years. Markman states that bailing out the carrier repeatedly is a sign of insanity on government’s part. Markman says approximately R5 billion of taxpayers’ money goes to SAA each year, money he believes could be directed elsewhere.

Markman says “I am hoping he will accept my bet, saying he believes SAA will be profitable in three years’ time. If that is the case then I will be absolutely delighted to pay that because he will be saving the country billions. I think it is enough, just more promises. There is no stopping it at all”.

Markman’s comments come ahead of Gigaba’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement on Wednesday.

Markman states that flying a bankrupt airline as a flag carrier, is of no advantage to a country. Markman was reacting to comments made by a former co-chair of low-cost airline, Skywise, Tabassum Qadir to Fin24, saying “a national carrier is an embassy with wings and the sale thereof should not be an option”. He emphasises that many countries no longer have national carriers, it is only what he refers to as the “banana republics” like South Africa, that continue to subsidise failing national carriers.

OFM News