Dudu Myeni, the former chairperson of South African Airways, has passed away, announced by the Jacob Zuma Foundation on Saturday afternoon.
“The foundation confirms with a heavy heart that its chairperson, Dudu Myeni, passed on last night. The family is still dealing with these sad developments and will not be entertaining any media enquiries.”
Myeni missed her corruption pre-trial hearing at the end of May due to ongoing chemotherapy treatments.
During testimony at the Zondo Commission investigating state capture, Angelo Agrizzi, former COO of Bosasa, alleged that the company delivered R300,000 monthly in cash to Myeni. This money was purportedly a donation to the Jacob Zuma Foundation.
A confidante of ex-president Jacob Zuma, Myeni faced allegations of fraud and corruption involving over R300,000. These charges were linked to kickbacks she purportedly received from Trevor Mathenjwa, ex-IT director at Sondolo IT, a Bosasa subsidiary.
The legal actions claimed that from May 2014 to March 2015, Myeni benefited from unauthorized security enhancements at her Richards Bay home worth R200,000.
Additional accusations included that Myeni enjoyed perks like hotel stays and travel expenses for herself and associates, arranged by Blake Travels and costing in excess of R107,000, during the same period.
In March 2017, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) and the South African Airways Pilots’ Association (SAAPA) petitioned the Pretoria High Court. They sought to have Myeni declared a delinquent director under Section 162(5) of the South African Companies Act due to her management during her tenure at SAA’s helm.
Throughout her five-year term as SAA chair from 2012/13 to 2016/17, the airline incurred losses of R16.844 billion, reversing its previously profitable status.
In 2020, Judge Ronel Tolmay ruled Myeni a delinquent director, imposing a lifetime ban on her holding any directorship role.
Myeni was apprehended on charges of fraud and corruption in September 2023.
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