The first chapter of Volume 1 of the State Capture Report runs to more than 400 pages – just to deal with SAA and assorted other aviation matters.
Zondo's commission's proceedings spanned more than 400 days, with more than 300 witnesses appearing – and presenting more than 1.7 million pages of documents as evidence. That created the conditions for large-scale corruption and looting. Some companies turned a blind eye, some appear to have been victims, and others profited.
A ceremonial conclusion of a deal between SAA and Emirates was called off, because Myeni said Zuma had ordered the deal not be signed,"leading to national embarrassment" – and ruining relationships with other potential partners"because SAA was now seen as entirely irrational". "Ms Myeni simply failed to meet the deadline and did not ratify the deal," Zondo relates. She wrote a letter to the president of Airbus, trying to change the terms of the agreed deal, and to introduce a third-party company to handle the leasing, for reasons she has never explained to just about anyone's satisfaction.
"SAA not only resisted signing an agreement, but it also changed the requirements for the tender by introducing new conditions for Swissport about BEE supplier requirements," Zondo heard, even though it was already 49% black owned. "The Commission’s investigations revealed that this payment of R28.5 million was made to JM Aviation in March 2016, the month before the ground handling contract between SAA and Swissport was finally concluded," said Zondo.
Specifically, Zondo thinks two Nedbank dealers may have entered into a deal that breached the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act, by incentivising an agent to act against the interests of its client.