200 pilots, crew 'fly illegally'

'Regulator cannot allow this process to be compromised.'

- Hein Kaiser

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) has revealed that at least 200 pilots and cabin crew may have "compromised" licences, which mean they could be flying illegally.

This comes after the authority revealed that South African Airways' (SAA) now suspended chief medical officer Dr Nhlanhla Sishaba allegedly certified crew as medically fit to fly, while not having the authority to do so.

Last month, the Sacaa issued a statement advising that Sishaba was under investigation after allegedly ignoring the fact that her title and authority as a designated aviation medical examiner had expired and was not renewed.

Last year, Sishaba was also penalised for not submitting completed medical examination records to the Sacaa for verification as per the regulatory requirements. The enforcement action was specifically on this non-compliance, the regulator's Phindiwe Gwebu told The Citizen.

Gwebu added the reason for non-renewal of Sishaba's designation this year was a pending investigation into alleged irregularities in her conduct.

"Once the designation has lapsed," she said, "one cannot assume it is still valid until the redesignation has been confirmed."