Government will never sell the national airline, South African Airways (SAA), President Jacob Zuma said on Friday.

SAA has received a number of government bailouts worth billions of rand and is in the middle of a turnaround strategy.

“Government is very clear, we will never sell this company, no matter what other people say,” Zuma said at SAA’s offices in Kempton Park.

During the State of the Nation Address in February‚ President Zuma announced that government will provide support to State Owned Companies (SOCs)‚ while also implementing the reforms that would make them more effective in delivering on their mandates.

President Zuma said that government fully appreciates the positive role and contribution that State-Owned Companies can and should play in supporting the attainment of the National Development Plan (NDP) objectives‚ especially in the areas of stepping up investment‚ growing the economy‚ expanding the skills base and creating jobs.

[Source: Sunday Times]