The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have renewed calls for parliamentary hearings into the state of South Africa’s airline industry.
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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have renewed calls for parliamentary hearings into the state of South Africa’s airline industry.
In a letter to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition, Mzwandile Masina, last year, the party called on Parliament to summon airline executives and industry stakeholders to explain the challenges facing the sector, including alleged low wages and unsafe working conditions.
"The Committee must urgently receive answers regarding the industry's performance, pricing practices, and treatment of both workers and passengers, as the situation has deteriorated sharply over the past year."
"South Africans have endured a wave of issues, including skyrocketing ticket prices, frequent flight delays, airport mismanagement, and worsening safety concerns. These are not isolated incidents but part of a pattern of neglect, profiteering, and weak regulation that demands full public accountability".
The party also raised concerns about the "marginalisation of regional airports", including Mthatha, Bhisho, and East London in the Eastern Cape, as well as the closure of airports in Mahikeng and Pilanesberg.
"The South African public deserves a full, transparent explanation for the state of this vital industry, as air travel is an essential service that connects people, drives trade, and sustains tourism. The decline of this sector represents not only a failure of corporate accountability but a failure of regulatory oversight."
Commenting on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, EFF MP Sinawo Thambo said the exclusion of many South Africans from affordable air travel was “ridiculous”, adding that "there must be a cap on the pricing of airline tickets".
"The exclusion of a large portion of our society from travel through flight is ridiculous. A lot of it can be credited to pricing manipulation in the aviation sector, whose pricing is determined by the whims of operators and the exploitation of demand," Thambo said.
He added that the reliance on long-distance bus travel, which has contributed to a high number of road fatalities, must be reduced
"Travel via bus over long distances, which leads to all these fatalities, must be discouraged, and that begins with making airline travel affordable, but also building and maintaining our airports in “rural areas” he said.
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