SAA and travel agency bosses have responded to the DA’s calls for the suspension of SAA Acting CEO, Nico Bezuidenhout, saying it’s not qualifications that matter but experience.
Controversy surfaced after an article in the Sunday Times reported that SAA had overstated Bezuidenhout’s qualifications.
SAA released a statement yesterday in response to a call by the DA to suspend the Acting CEO pending an enquiry into his appointment. 
The statement says that claims that Bezuidenhout misrepresented his qualifications are untrue and that though he did not complete degrees in transport economics and industrial psychology (as stated in SAA’s 2011/12 Annual Report), his track record and subsequent appointment as Acting CEO remain in the best interests of the company.
XL Travel COO Rod Rutter agrees. “It doesn’t make any difference. The question is: is he competent to do the job? I think his ability is evident. He has an excellent track record.”

Garth Wolff, CEO of eTravel, shares this view. “Qualifications tell me only that someone has an ability to get through their studies. It doesn’t define a person’s character. Bezuidenhout’s record with Mango is very good. He should have been aware that the wrong information was being published in SAA financial statements, but nothing more.”