Mango case postponed to Friday

The South Gauteng High Court has postponed hearing an urgent application brought by organised labour against struggling airline Mango’s liquidation to Friday.

The matter, on an urgent application ticket filed by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), the Mango Pilots Association (MPA) and the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) against the airline management, is to solve the impasse of whether Mango is liquidated or placed under business rescue.

Organised labour is strongly advocating for the airline to be placed under business rescue and have recommended a business rescue practitioner, while South African Airways, which owns the franchise, and the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) are making efforts to liquidate it.

Mango’s more than 740 workers have not been paid for about eight months while management argues that the the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic have turned its operating of hundreds of millions into an operating loss.

Management estimates that about R800 million is needed to keep it as a going concern.

Organised labour is concerned that workers are being shunted into a dark hangar wih no recourse.

The matter is before Judge Thomas Baloyi.

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