South African Airways has placed its Acting Group Chief Executive Officer, Matshela Seshibe, on special leave with immediate effect, the airline’s board confirmed on Friday. Chief Legal Officer Koekie Mbeki has been appointed Acting GCEO in his place while what the board describes only as “an internal process” is carried out.
In a message to staff, board chairperson Sedzani Faith Mudau framed the move as a demonstration of the board’s commitment to governance, accountability and integrity, and of its determination to protect the trust placed in the airline by shareholders, customers and staff. The communication did not disclose the nature of the internal process, what prompted it, or how long it is expected to take.
Mbeki, a senior legal executive with experience in legislative drafting, litigation and contract negotiation, has held several posts at SAA, including Senior Manager: Legal Services and Interim Chief Legal Counsel, before being appointed Group Chief Legal Officer. She was the airline’s public face during its 2024 settlement with the US Department of Transportation over delayed Covid-era ticket refunds. The board described her as a leader with deep institutional knowledge who would ensure stability and continuity during the transition.
| Date (2026) | Development |
|---|---|
| 10 April | Group CEO John Lamola resigns; three board members also depart |
| 11 April | Matshela Seshibe, CEO of subsidiary Air Chefs, named Acting GCEO |
| 20 April | SAA board publicly defends Seshibe’s appointment after scrutiny of his Daybreak Farms tenure |
| 14 August | Seshibe placed on special leave; Chief Legal Officer Koekie Mbeki named Acting GCEO |
Seshibe’s appointment in April followed Lamola’s resignation, which came alongside the departure of three board members and the retirement of acting CFO Lindsay Olitzki, prompting aviation analysts at the time to describe the airline’s leadership as unstable at both board and executive level. Seshibe had no prior airline experience, having joined SAA as CEO of its catering subsidiary Air Chefs, a role in which he was credited with a turnaround. Before that, he held leadership positions at Unilever, SABMiller, Coca-Cola and Tiger Brands, and served as managing director of Albany Bakeries.
His appointment was contentious from the outset. Civil society figures, including Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse chief executive Wayne Duvenage, criticised the decision, and renewed attention was drawn to Seshibe’s earlier suspension from Daybreak Farms, a Public Investment Corporation-backed poultry producer, in late 2022 amid allegations that he had authorised irregular payments. SAA said at the time that the allegations had been fully investigated at Daybreak Farms and found to be without merit, and it urged the media not to recycle claims it considered already settled.
Friday’s announcement gives no indication of whether the current internal process is connected to those earlier allegations or is unrelated. SAA said it would not comment further on the matter beyond the chairperson’s message.
The development adds to a pattern of leadership churn at the national carrier this year. SAA has now had three changes at the top of its executive structure since April, on top of board departures earlier in the year. The airline continues to operate under scrutiny from the Auditor-General, which has flagged material uncertainties about its status as a going concern and criticised the quality of its financial statements over seven consecutive years.
For now, Mbeki takes charge of an airline still without a permanent chief executive more than four months after Lamola’s exit, with the board yet to say when that recruitment process, first announced in April, will conclude.