HE KNOWS nothing about the airline
business, but the appointment of the
chief officer of Vodacom Business is
being increasingly welcomed, as the
trade learns more about him.
Vuyani Jarana got his MBA from
Stelllenbosch University in 2000, and
since then he has had extensive board
and operational experience in the
telecoms sector both in South Africa
and other parts of Africa.
A Vodacom inside source told
TNW that if someone could make a
difference at SAA, it would be
Vuyani.
“This man is honest, hardworking
and driven. He is
also capable of making tough
decisions,” TNW was told.
“He is a workaholic and if
he operates at SAA like he
does at Vodacom, his fellow
executives can expect weekend
calls and burning the midnight
oil as he sinks his teeth into
turning the airline around.”
According to Business Day,
Vuyani says his lack of aviation
experience does not worry
him. All in all, along with the
recapitalisation that has been
promised by Finance Minister,
Malusi Gigaba, it does seem
that for the first time in many
years, a ceo of SAA will be in
with a fair chance of making
the airline work. He will need
to be tough, though.
Business Day also
reported that Vuyani was
recruited through an external
headhunting process.
