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By Pretoria Correspondent, Chimaimba Banda and Sapa
Two more arrests have followed revelations that SAA pilots implicated in a fake license scam had flown as co-pilots on domestic and international flights, in both Boeing 747 and Boeing 737 aircraft.
One arrest was made on Tuesday and another on Wednesday night, bringing to five the number of people under investigation.
SAA spokesperson Madelain Roscher was quick to point out that although three first officers had been accused of obtaining their air transport pilot (ATP) licenses fraudulently, they had obtained their commercial pilots’ licenses legally. The ATP license is a qualification needed for a pilot to qualify as a captain.
Among the three pilots, one was an in-flight relief officer. As first officers and co-pilots, the three were not involved in takeoffs or landings.
Roscher said the accused had passed their competency tests with SAA, and insisted that at no time was passenger safety compromised.
There is stiff competition among prospective commercial pilots for the few available positions. About 7 000 applications were received every year for 20 cadet pilot positions, Roscher said, and those selected cost about R500 000 each to train.
Those selected are sent to Australia for two years of training. They then return to South Africa.
Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Authority chief executive Trevor Abrahams will spend at least the next week behind bars, together with three senior international SAA co-pilots and a former SA Airlink pilot, after they appeared briefly in the Commercial Crime Court in Pretoria on Wednesday in connection with an alleged license scam.
Transport Minister Dullah Omar announced late on Wednesday that Abrahams had been temporarily relieved of his position as commissioner and CEO of the CAA until further notice.
A smartly dressed Abrahams, 46, handed himself over to the court yesterday, shortly after a warrant for his arrest was issued. Abrahams, of Parkmore, Sandton, did not ask for bail after his case was postponed for a week for further investigation.
Police are working around the clock to execute further warrants of arrest, which include two other senior CAA officials, a pilot of Zimbabwe Air and one flying for Anglo American. The SA Airlink pilot who was arrested on Tuesday night was expected to appear in court on Friday.
Meanwhile, three senior SAA pilots – Zambian citizen Themba McClain, 33, of Parkhurst in Johannesburg, Similo Charles Sali, 38, of Kempton Park, Johannesburg and Issama Domminicus Nombo, 42, also of Kempton Park – were remanded in custody and their case was postponed to next Thursday for further investigation.
A fourth suspect, former SA Airlink pilot Louis Maloma, 30, of Pretoria, who blew the whistle on the alleged scam, appeared later after he was arrested during the day. His case was postponed for a week.
