Former SAA board chair Dudu Myeni. (Deon Lars/LaPorte/Gallo Images)
Dudu Myeni, the controversial former chairman of South African Airways and a close friend of former President Jacob Zuma, has died, the foundation named in Zuma's name announced in a brief statement on Saturday.
The foundation said Myeni died on Friday night.
“The family is still dealing with this tragic situation and will not be responding to media inquiries. The foundation asks the media to respect the family's position,” it said.
Myeni was once one of the country's most influential executives due to his closeness to the former president and his seat on the boards of the national airline and other state-owned companies, but he was constantly under scrutiny for allegations of blackmail, fraud, money laundering and corruption. During his tenure, SAA underwent numerous bailouts.
In September last year, she was arrested by the Hawks along with Sondlo IT director Trevor Masenjawa over alleged fraud and defrauding to the tune of R300,000 involving Bosasa, the government service provider she was then using as preferred to beef up security at her Richards Bay home.
According to the bureau, she is also accused of “obtaining more than R107,000 in hotel accommodation and travel expenses for herself and those close to her from Bosasa, through Blake Travels, between May 2014 and March 2015”. She is out on R10,000 bail along with Mathenjawa, and the case is due to resume in November this year.
The allegations were first revealed in detail during the Zondo Commission inquiry into state takeover.
In 2020, Myeni was declared a defaulting director by the High Court in Pretoria in relation to the way he headed the board of South African Airways. The case was brought by the Anti-Tax Evasion Organisation (Outa) and the South African Pilots Association. The declaration meant that Myeni was deemed not to be “fit and proper” to serve as a director of any entity.
In her ruling, Judge Ronell Tolmay said Myeni had been dishonest in his dealings with the national airline and in court. She described Myeni as “reckless” and “grossly negligent” and also harshly criticised his claim that he could not attend court because he lacked the funds to travel. Myeni served on several committees and received a salary at the time.
