Acting CEO Koekie Mbeki moves to steady SAA while board seeks permanent leaders

Acting group chief executive Koekie Mbeki has set priorities for stabilising South African Airways while the board searches for permanent leadership, according to reporting in The Citizen.

Immediate goal: steady operations

According to The Citizen, Mbeki said her immediate task is to keep SAA’s operations steady amid higher fuel costs, financial pressure on consumers and a difficult aviation-market environment. She has taken on the role at a time of senior-management turbulence.

Why leadership matters

The Citizen reports that Mbeki assumed the acting group CEO role after Matshela Seshibe was placed on special leave. The article says the airline has seen recent senior departures, with John Lamola having left his position as SAA chief executive and Lindsay Olinsky retiring as chief financial officer. The airline’s 2025 annual report attracted criticism, the report adds.

Board priorities

The Citizen says the SAA board is prioritising appointments to both the CEO and CFO roles. Mbeki warned that the absence of permanent holders for those posts can create what she called “jitters in the market,” the article reports.

Mbeki’s stance on the permanent role

According to The Citizen, Mbeki told reporters she does not intend to pursue the permanent CEO position and would prefer that permanent leadership be appointed quickly. She framed her current role as one of short-term stewardship.

“I am determined to make my tenure as CEO count, no matter how short it is.”

What to watch next

As the board moves to fill the two executive vacancies, the focus inside SAA, according to The Citizen, is on restoring confidence and ensuring continuity of operations while external cost and market pressures persist.