Former SAA boss pleads poverty

Disgraced former SAA technical chairperson, Yakhe Kwinana, has pleaded poverty, saying she cannot afford bail of R20 000 that the court has granted her. 

Kwinana made her first appearance on fraud charges at the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, sitting in Palm Ridge, earlier today.

Through her defence lawyer, she told the court that her fortunes had dwindled since the backlash she received from the Zondo Commission. 

In 2022, the commission recommended that Kwinana be probed for corruption.

It had found her to have contributed to the decline of the national carrier, which ultimately led to SAA being placed under business rescue in 2020. 

The commission further uncovered allegations that led to findings of irregularities in Kwinana’s awarding of tenders, with evidence suggesting she disregarded proper procedures and ignored conflicts of interest.

The former SAA board member is accused of causing sustainable damage to the then crisis-riddled national airline between 2009 and 2016. 

The allegations include the awarding of irregular contracts to two firms – PWC and Nkonki Incorporated – during her tenure at SAA. 

The payments amounted to approximately R59 million lost by airline. 

Kwinana, a chartered accountant by training, was struck off the roll by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) following a disciplinary hearing that found her guilty of misconduct.

Speaking in court, her lawyer, Lindelwa Mbanjwa, revealed that Kwinana is now living off a pension of just R6 600 – a far cry from her estimated annual earnings of R500 000 during her time on the SAA board.

She is supposedly further supporting two unemployed adult children and a 104-year-old grandmother off this money. 

Kwinana’s lawyer requested that bail be set at R5 000, which she claims is a more manageable amount. The court, however, rejected this.

“The court has to balance the scale and make sure that the amount fixed towards bail is affordable, but at the same time ensure that the seriousness of the offence is not watered down by flimsy amounts set by the courts,” said the presiding Magistrate Phindi Keswa.

The case returns to court on January 29.