Controversial businesswoman Dudu Myeni’s business career has come to an end after a court declared her a delinquent director.
Civil society group Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) and the SAA Pilots’ Association (SAAPA) approached the court to declare Myeni a delinquent director following her disastrous stint as SAA chairperson.
Judge Ronel Tolmay agreed with the two organisations that Myeni was unfit to serve on company boards.
“Ms Myeni’s actions as chairperson of the Board caused SAA immense harm. She was a director gone rogue, she did not have the slightest consideration for her fiduciary duty to SAA,” reads the judgement.
“We are extremely pleased to see justice meted out in a prominent matter related to state capture,” says Stefanie Fick, OUTA’s chief legal officer.
“When we set out on this matter three years ago, we knew it would take time and would be very costly. But every minute and every rand spent was worth it. We believed then, as we do now, that it is important to hold people like Ms Myeni to account, as opposed to seeing them get away with acts of gross misconduct, year after year.”
Myeni’s tenure at the helm of SAA has also come under scrutiny at the ongoing Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
“This is a victory for the pilots of SAA. We believe it is important for internal organisations to take a stand against their directors when it is necessary to do so, as was the case with Ms Myeni during her tenure as the chair,” said Grant Back, chairperson of SAAPA.
Myeni is currently a director of several companies including the Jacob Zuma Foundation and the Mangaung metro’s electricity utility, Centlec.
The court’s decision means she will have to vacate these positions.
This story will be updated when Myeni comments.
