A forensic investigation into the South African Airway's (SAA) financial management indicated that there had also been irregularities with sponsorships of more than R238 million by the SAA. It is apparent from an answer of the Minister of Public Enterprises, Ms. Barbara Hogan to a question of Mr. Pieter Groenewald of the Freedom Front Plus in Parliament. The Minister confirmed that a forensic investigation by KPMG had been completed and that the board of directors of the SAA now has to decide which steps have to be taken.
"The SAA is one of the public enterprises which suffered under the incompetence of Chief Executive Officers and which had to be rescued each time with taxpayer's money. The fact that R328,496 million was spent on sponsorships from 2006 is unacceptable. Sponsorships can only be afforded when an enterprise is financially healthy and is making a profit. It is incomprehensible that an Argentinean golf player, Angel Cabrera, had received a sponsorship of R26 million between 2007 an 2010. The taxpayers' money is thus being used to promote foreign sportsmen and sponsor them, while local sportspeople sometimes struggle to acquire sponsors. All sponsorships have to be stopped until the SAA is profitable and had fulfilled its obligations toward the taxpayers," Mr. Pieter Groenewald (MP), chief spokesperson on Public Enterprises for the Freedom Front Plus says.