DA to Lodge Complaint Against SAA for Overpriced Repatriation Tickets

According to the South African Airlines (SAA) website, repatriation tickets from Washington, USA to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg have increased in price by 133.3% from roughly R15 000 to R35 000 in under a week!

A shocked volunteer, helping South Africans stranded in the US to get back home, contacted SAPeople on Wednesday to alert us to the incredible price hike. These prices are paid by the South African passengers, and not by the SA government or anybody’s taxes.

Today the DA MPs Ghaleb Cachalia and Mat Cuthbert announced that in view of the implications these prices will have on lives and livelihoods, the Democratic Alliance will write to the Competition Commission to request an investigation into SAA for price gouging.

“This comes off the back of SAA and aviation authorities’ decision to block international airlines from providing a similar repatriation service in order to monopolise the market and prop up our failing national carrier,” the DA claims in a press statement issued on Thursday.

The DA said it is only fair to hold state owned entities (SOEs) to the same standard and sanction as meted out to private businesses that have used the Covid-19 pandemic to profiteer off the backs of South African consumers.

“Prima facie evidence indicates that there is a clear cut case against SAA and the DA expects that the Competition Commission will perform the requisite due diligence to investigate this matter,” said the statement.

“The DA eagerly awaits the outcome of this investigation and trusts that it will be handled in a swift and judicious manner to prevent South Africans from being denied re-entry into their country and others to perfom the requirement of their jobs abroad on the basis of unaffordability.”