Mayende-Sibiya lauds SAA appointment

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Pretoria - The Minister for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities has described the appointment of a woman as CEO of SAA as a step in the right direction.

Siza Mzimela's appointment was announced on Wednesday. Minister Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya said on Thursday the department was confident in Mzimela's abilities to turn SAA around, adding that she hoped Mzimela would be given support to do her work.

Mzimela has worked for the airline's domestic partner, SA Express since 2003.

SAA chairwoman Cheryl Carolus said with her extensive experience in the airline industry, and especially her knowledge of the inner workings of SAA, Mzimela was the ideal candidate to fulfil SAA's mandate.

Meanwhile, Mayende-Sibiya has welcomed the sentencing of former advocate Cezanne Visser, known as Advocate Barbie, to seven years imprisonment.

"The decision of the court to impose a prison sentence reaffirms the fundamental right of children to be protected from sexual and other forms of abuse," said Mayende-Sibiya, pointing out that Visser should have been given a harsher sentence.

"Whilst we welcome the sentence, seven years is too short and doesn't carry weight. She should have been sent to jail for several years to send a message that child pornography can't be tolerated."

Visser was convicted in October last year on 11 counts including the indecent assault of girls and women and the manufacturing and possession of child pornography.