South Africa is close to picking airline partner, Gordhan says

South Africa has identified three equity partners for the country’s bankrupt state airline and will make a decision on which one to pick in “the next month or so,” according to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan. The interim board of South African Airways is engaging with the candidates before the government makes its recommendation, the minister said Friday. He also expects the national power utility’s 464b rand ($31.6b) of debt to become “a thing of the past” in the next three to five years. The search for a private-sector entity to help steer SAA to safety is key to the minister’s plan to revive the airline, which has been in administration for more than a year and hasn’t flown commercially since March. The carrier is also in a legal dispute with unions over back-pay settlements to workers, while demand for air travel has slowed to a trickle amid the Covid-19 pandemic. <br/>