In 2015, SAA through its then interim CEO, Nico Bezuidenhout entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Emirates Airlines

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Bezuidenhout told the Pretoria high court that then Board chairperson Ms. Dudu Myeni had stopped the deal he claimed would have netted R1.5 billion for SAA...

Bezuidenhout further claimed he had received a WhatsApp message from Ms. Myeni on the day the deal was meant to be signed, saying "we do not approve" of the signing. He said he had assumed that the message referred to Myeni and President Jacob Zuma

Ms. Myeni's lawyers told the court that there was no evidence supporting Bezuidenhout's version that, by saying "we do not approve", Ms. Myeni was referring to herself and Pres. Zuma. Instead, it was put to the court that the communication referred to her and the board of SAA.

Ms. Myeni's lawyers argued that their client had no powers to instruct Bezuidenhout not to sign the deal without a resolution by the board, which is what the former interim CEO had claimed.

Bezuidenhout also said Ms. Myeni was at some point skeptical that the MoU with Emirates was an attempted takeover of the embattled airline.

Ms. Myeni told the court she had not opposed the deal, but according to her understanding of the matter, the board did not even have unlimited powers to go ahead with it, as its decision would still subject to government approval

According to Ms. Myeni, she, and the board wanted government to go ahead and approve the memorandum. That they received letters from the department of transport seeking clarity on the MoU and also that the board's decision was based on the concerns raised by CEO Monwabisi Kalawe

Ms. Myeni said a letter they received from Kalawe said the deal would give too much away to Emirates to the detriment of SAA. Ms. Myeni said GM [Commercial] also said there was no other airline in the world that has so much freedom in one country like SAA was giving to Emirates.

Answering why she had said a deal that would have brought in R1.5B was unlawful, Ms. Myeni saidthe agreementwould eat out of SAA's own market share and give more to Emirates. (Sidebar: Coleman Andrews inflated revenues by selling paid-up aircraft to "bring in billions")

Ms. Myeni reiterated that the information before the board indicated that going ahead with the deal with Emirates would shrink the national carrier and allow the biggest airline in the world [Emirates] to eat into SAA's market share. ENDS