Presidency denies ‘malicious’ SAA chair rumours, including one about romance with Zuma

The Presidency has denied what it refers to as “malicious” rumours surrounding South African Airways chairperson Dudu Myeni – including one that she and President Jacob Zuma are romantically involved and have a son together.

It also denied that Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba was removed from his previous position as Minister of Public Enterprises due to an apparent fallout with Myeni and that SAA was transferred to the National Treasury at Myeni’s request because of a clash with Minister Lynne Brown.

The Presidency also rejected claims that former Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene was being redeployed because the SAA chairperson was unhappy with the National Treasury directives to SAA with regards to the Airbus deal

Regarding claims that Myeni and Zuma are involved in a romantic relationship and have a son together‚ the presidency said Myeni was the chairperson of the Jacob Zuma Foundation and that her relationship with the president was purely professional and based on the running of the foundation.

“Rumours about a romance and a child are baseless and are designed to cast aspersions on the President‚” said Presidency spokesman Bongani Majola.

Majola said it was also untrue that Gigaba did not finish his term as Minister of Public Enterprises at Myeni’s request.

“Mr Gigaba served his full term as Minister of Public Enterprises until the elections in May 2014. All terms of office automatically lapse after elections. A newly-elected President appoints a brand new Cabinet immediately after being sworn in.

“The new President is under no obligation to re-appoint persons who had served before and there is also no requirement that he should re-appoint people to portfolios they had held before‚ should he or she decide to include them in his or her new Cabinet.

“In line with this principle‚ Mr Gigaba was appointed as Minister of Home Affairs in the fifth administration‚” said Majola.

“Another rumour that has been doing the rounds and has been published as well by some media houses has it that the SAA was shifted from the Department of Public Enterprises to the National Treasury because of a clash between Ms Myeni and the Minister of Public Enterprises‚ Ms Lynne Brown and that this was at the request or demand by Ms Myeni.

“This is grossly untrue‚” Majola stated.

He added that SAA had been moved to the National Treasury so that it could be intensively supported to get out of difficulties by treasury.

“That was the sole motivation‚” Majola asserted. “As said by the President on 11 December‚ there is no state-owned entity that can dictate to government how it should be assisted.

“In addition‚ no chairperson of a board of a state owned company has the power to tell a government Department to which the entity reports‚ how to support or lead them.

“The President and government will be guided by the National Treasury on the response to the SAA challenges. Once the National Treasury advises that the SAA is on a better footing‚ it will be returned to the Department of Public Enterprises where it belongs‚” Majola added.

He described rumours that former Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene was being redeployed because of the Airbus deal and Myeni’s displeasure as “a malicious fabrication”.

“Mr Nene‚ as has been explained‚ is South Africa’s candidate to head up the African Regional Centre of the New Development Bank/BRICS Bank‚” Majola said.

He added: “The SAA receives directives from the Minister of Finance and works under the guidance of that Ministry. No member of the SAA Board is above the Minister of Finance or can operate outside of the mandate and direction provided by the Minister of Finance and the National Treasury.”