South African Airways (SAA) has suspended acting group chief executive officer Matshela Seshibe with immediate effect, just four months after he took on the role.
A statement posted to the carrier’s website said the SAA board “has resolved to place the acting group chief executive officer, Mr. Matshela Seshibe, on special leave, with immediate effect, pending the outcome of an internal process”.
The board cited its “commitment to the highest standards of good governance, accountability, integrity and leadership” but did not detail specific reasons for the suspension. South African media reports have pointed to possible irregularities at Air Chefs, SAA’s catering subsidiary, which Seshibe previously led.
Chief legal officer Koekie Mbeki has been appointed acting group CEO with immediate effect.
Seshibe was appointed in April 2026 following the resignation of former CEO John Lamola, who had led the airline since 2022 – a period of relative stability following SAA’s post-restructuring return to service. The carrier’s fleet has grown from a skeleton six aircraft between 2019 and 2021 to 19 aircraft as of August 2026, according to the ch-aviation database. SAA has had 15 CEOs since 2010.
Lamola’s departure, along with that of the airline’s acting chief financial officer just days before the close of the 2025/26 financial year, has renewed scrutiny of SAA’s finances. South Africa’s Auditor-General has questioned the probity of the airline’s accounts and its viability as a going concern, contradicting SAA’s reported profit of 155 million Rand (US$9.5 million/AU$13.2 million) for the 2024/25 fiscal year.
SAA’s only direct route to Australia is Johannesburg–Perth. It’s operated by Airbus A340-300 aircraft, restarted on April 28, 2024 after a four-year hiatus, initially three times weekly. Due to strong demand, frequency increased to five weekly flights in November 2025.
