South Africa's Mango optimistic about license renewal

S African minister fights order to decide on Mango sale

In an eleventh-hour move, South Africa's Public Enterprises Department is appealing a court-ordered October 6 deadline to decide on a bid for Mango Airlines (MNO, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) but denies it is trying to stall or undermine the potential rescue of the state-owned budget carrier.

"The intention of this application is to ensure that all aspects of Mango's business rescue process are transparent, legally sound, and in the best interests of the South African public. This is not a stalling tactic or an attempt to undermine the need to bring finality to Mango's business rescue process," it said in a statement on October 2.

On September 6, the South African High Court in Pretoria gave Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan 30 days to approve or reject a ZAR326 rand (USD17.25 million) binding offer for Mango from South African consortium Ubuntu Air Services. The court ruled that Gordhan's 10-month delay in deciding the matter was unreasonable and unconstitutional. The court action was brought by Mango's business rescue practitioner (BRP), Sipho Sono, who warned that the...

S. Africa minister digs in his heels over Mango bid decision

South Africa's Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has reacted defiantly to a court ordering him to decide on a rescue bid for stricken state-owned budget carrier Mango Airlines (MNO, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo), saying he will not be bullied or pressured into a decision.

He was responding to a South African High Court order on September 6, limiting him to 30 days to accept or reject a ZAR326 million rand (USD17 million) secured offer for Mango from South African consortium Ubuntu Air Services. The minister has been delaying the process since the bid was submitted to him in December 2022 by Mango's business rescue practitioner Sipho Sono, who took legal action to compel Gordhan to reach a decision.

In his response, Gordhan said he was studying the court judgment and would proceed based on legal advice. He stressed he would "not be cowed to submit to pressure that certain elements, with zero regard for public interest, sought to exert on him" regarding the business rescue process of Mango Airlines, a subsidiary of South African Airways...

S. Africa minister ordered to decide on Mango rescue bid

The South African High Court has given Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan 30 days to decide on a rescue bid for South African Airways' stricken low-cost subsidiary Mango Airlines (MNO, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo), a breakthrough for the airline's business rescue practitioner (BRP), who has waited almost a year for a decision on the ZAR326 million rand (about USD17 million) offer from South African consortium Ubuntu Air Services.

In his ruling on September 6, High Court acting judge AJ Phooko ordered Gordhan to make a decision by October 6, 2023, and communicate the outcome and the reasons for it. If he fails to do so, it will be read that he has agreed to the sale.

The judge declared that Gordhan's indecisiveness was "unlawful and constitutionally invalid", amounted to "an unreasonable delay and constituted a violation of the right to lawful administrative action". "I do not see how a delay in taking a decision could be considered rational. The delay in taking a decision in respect of [...] the application has, in my view, violated...

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