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Top CAA boss hits the road
04/12/2007 07:23 - (SA)
Erika Gibson and Carina van Wyk, Beeld
Pretoria - Just days after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) temporarily suspended Nationwide airline's licence, a top CAA official has left under a cloud.
Sources told Beeld newspaper the contract of CEO Zakes Myeza was terminated on Monday. The announcement of his firing has been scheduled for Tuesday.
The reason for the move is not known. He had been in the post for about 18 months.
CAA spokesperson Phindi Gwebu said: "I will release an announcement from the board on Tuesday."
The CAA suspended Nationwide's licence, automatically grounding all 18 of its aircraft without airworthiness certificates, at midnight last Thursday.
Approval was refused
Nationwide's appeal to the commissioner for civil aviation on Friday against the ruling was not successful.
Gwebu said acting commissioner Gawie Bestbier had upheld the ruling. Nationwide hoped it could get CAA approval for a flight from Johannesburg to London on Sunday.
Nationwide chief executive Vernon Bricknell said the last C-class inspection of the Boeing 767 that was to be used for the flight had been done by Dutch airline KLM.
C-Level indicates the top-level maintenance inspection done every 18 months.
The CAA did not approve the request and "we're not going to comment on it any further from Monday", said Gwebu.
Informed sources said Nationwide had provided all the necessary documents to the CAA, dating back to 2003 when it took possession of the aircraft in Montreal, Canada.
The CAA insisted on having documentation for the plane pre-dating 2003, although at the time the authority had accepted the documentation and the condition of the plane, before it was admitted to the South African registry.
In terms of legislation, Nationwide was obliged to retain the required documents for only 12 months after registration.
On Monday afternoon, Collen Msibi, spokesperson for the Department of Transport, was not yet aware of Myeza's contract being terminated.
Directorate member suspended
Gwebu issued a statement last month saying the CAA wanted to appoint another 29 technicians and aviation experts because they needed "competent personnel to help them fulfil their mandate".
Bridget Mohlala, a member of the CAA directorate, also was suspended on Monday from her post as head of the Auditor-General's operations and transaction management.
She was found guilty of several financial offences.
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