SAA faces urgent court challenge over CEO appointment battle

Acting CEO of SAA Matshela Seshibe placed on special leave in August, wants the court to force the airline to interview for the top job. South African Airways (SAA) faces an urgent high court challenge from acting CEO Matshela Seshibe, who was placed on special leave in August. Seshibe wants the court to force the airline to interview him for its top job, or halt the appointment of a permanent CEO until disciplinary proceedings against him are finalised. CEO wants court to force airline to interview for top job He claims the national carrier dropped him after initially shortlisting him because of unresolved disciplinary allegations brought by SAA subsidiary Air Chefs. In court papers filed in the High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Seshibe argues that the airline has effectively judged him guilty without allowing him to answer the allegations. He wants the matter heard urgently on 20 October, before SAA is expected to appoint a permanent CEO by month-end. Seshibe was appointed acting group CEO in April after serving as chief executive of Air Chefs. He said he applied when SAA advertised the permanent position in August and was invited to an interview. Seshibe placed on special leave in August However, after Air Chefs placed him on special leave and instituted disciplinary proceedings, SAA withdrew the invitation. His founding affidavit does not disclose the charges against him, but Seshibe maintains that he has a substantial defence and that no finding of misconduct has been made. “The sole basis for my exclusion was the existence of unresolved disciplinary allegations, notwithstanding that those allegations remain disputed and have not been determined,” he wrote. He said his shortlisting demonstrated that SAA considered him qualified and suitable for the job, yet the airline refused to hear his explanation before excluding him. “The respondent [SAA] gave me no opportunity to explain the position, or to advise it of my defence to the disciplinary proceedings against me. Shortlisting demonstrated that SAA considered Seshibe qualified/suitable “The approach it took was simply prejudicial to me. It made assumptions about my character and suitability for office without letting me respond.” Seshibe also noted his executive record at Air Chefs which. he claims, achieved record profitability, improved operating margins and its highest cash reserves under his leadership. The subsidiary, he said, became the SAA group’s only profitable entity during the relevant period and improved its audit outcomes. He also said that SAA had entrusted him with responsibility for the group’s Liquidity Crisis Committee in March 2026, before appointing him acting group CEO the following month. During that period, he claims to have introduced daily cash monitoring, extended the group’s projected cash runway to September and overseen a revised corporate plan and budget. SAA spokesperson confirms receipt of court application On 7 October, Seshibe wrote to SAA demanding that it proceed with his interview or suspend the recruitment process pending the outcome of his disciplinary proceedings. SAA spokesperson Mphilo Dlamini confirmed the airline had received Seshibe’s court application but declined to comment on the allegations. “As the matter is now sub judice and before the court, SAA will address it through the appropriate legal processes,” he said, confirming that recruitment for a permanent CEO was still underway. Dlamini said the airline was bound by confidentiality obligations during recruitment and could not disclose information about individual candidates while the process remained underway.