Gigaba also said he wanted to put in measures for better governance at the board level of SAA as he was convinced it was capable of turning around its fortunes.
His attitude towards Myeni‚ who is said to enjoy the support of President Jacob Zuma‚ is in contrast with that of his predecessor, Pravin Gordhan, who took a hard line against the SAA board chair.
Gigaba was briefing the media shortly after delivering his first Treasury budget vote in parliament yesterday.
“It’s quite clear that for the airline to turn around we need to have the department being more hands-on because the solutions don’t only come from recapitalisation or even any of the solutions proposed.
“They come first and foremost on the quality leadership that we have at the company in the form of the board‚” Gigaba said.
He said one way of strengthening the board would be by filling the one vacancy with someone with aviation expertise.
