Nico Bezuidenhout, the CEO of state-owned airline, Mango, has resigned. This is another blow to the embattled sector.
Bezuidenhout was doing his second stint as CEO of Mango, having been in the position since November last year. According to BusinessLive, he had also been acting CEO at South African Airways (SAA) but had run foul of Dudu Myeni, the chair of the board at the time and ally of former President Jacob Zuma.
Bezuidenhout said that he had been offered an opportunity with an airline abroad, and was due to start at the beginning of November.
According to BusinessLive Mango faces an uncertain future. Like SAA, it is a subsidiary of the SAA holding company, which has been under business rescue since the end of last year. About R1 billion is needed to recapitalize Mango.
The global airline industry has been dealt a crippling blow by the Covid-19 pandemic, making any attempt to revive SAA and its related companies even more difficult.