South African Airways Salutes Tata Nelson Mandela - May You Rest in the Peace You Gave Us

JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- We salute Tata Nelson Mandela as the father of South African democracy, and acknowledge that South African Airways (SAA) today is the leading carrier on the African continent due to his iconic and legendary statesmanship.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130910/FL77195LOGO )

Tata Mandela is the father of nations, a revered global icon, a revolutionary, a diplomat, a former President and a beacon of greatness that is celebrated all across the world. This is a man who compassionately offered close to seven decades of his life serving others. He sacrificed 27 years of his freedom to ensure that all South Africans are free.

Each of us can learn from his commitment and selflessness in serving the people of South Africa. His infinite wisdom helped this country to achieve its greatest achievement yet - to free ourselves from the shackles of Apartheid and transform into, in an exemplary and peaceful manner, a democracy.

Tata Mandela is a brilliant South African light that illuminated the world with his ideologies that resonate with the areas that are most critical to all of us at SAA. These include equal rights for women, honouring our nation's children and the ability to pursue excellence and transcend race.

In isiXhosa we salute Tata Madiba as iQhawe la maQhawe: A Nation's Hero, a Man among Men. From a lineage of royalty, he has elevated our entire nation to royalty. His memory lets us carry ourselves as Kings and Queens of our vibrant nation. Let us continue to fight for the spirit of equality and also be grateful for the myriad of opportunities that we have now because of this African legend. It is because of this global South African icon that the South African national carrier can connect people from all over the world and from our beloved South Africa.

In his memory we will continue taking our country's proud flag of freedom and our icon's legacy across the globe. It is because of this father of many nations that SAA is able to help build South Africa into a country that we can be proud.

In his memory, let us always pursue excellence.

Let us inscribe his words on our hearts: "Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom."

Monwabisi Kalawe  
SAA Group CEO

About South African Airways 
South African Airways (SAA), Africa's most awarded airline, operates to 42 destinations worldwide. In its domestic market SAA has an extensive schedule operating 660 flights in total per week between Johannesburg - Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth, from its Johannesburg hub, as well as code-shared flights between Lanseria - Cape Town and Durban. SAA offers more frequencies than any other airline in South Africa.

Regionally, SAA offers 26 destinations across the African continent including Abidjan, Accra, Blantyre, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Cotonou, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Douala, Entebbe, Harare, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, Lilongwe, Livingstone, Luanda, Lusaka, Maputo, Mauritius, Nairobi, Ndola, Pointe Noire, Victoria Falls and Windhoek.

SAA's international network creates links to all major continents from South Africa through 11 direct routes and code shares, with daily flights from Johannesburg to London (Heathrow), Frankfurt, Munich, Mumbai, Perth, Hong Kong, Beijing, New York, Washington, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. SAA has codes share agreements with 27 other airlines across the markets it serves. SAA's core business is the provision of passenger airline and cargo transport services together with related services, which are provided through SAA and its four wholly owned subsidiaries: SAA Technical; Mango its low cost carrier; Air Chefs, the catering entity of SAA and South African Travel Centre (SATC).

SAA is a Star Alliance member which offers more than 21,900 daily flights to 1,328 airports in 195 countries. SAA is the winner of the 'Best Airline in Africa' Award in the regional category for eleven consecutive years. Mango and SAA hold the number one and number two successive spots as South Africa's most on-time airlines.

For more information contact: 
SAA Group Corporate Affairs 
Tlali Tlali 
Spokesperson 
Tel: +27 11 978 2298  
Mobile: +27 82 333 3880 
Email: [email protected]     

Digital 
Website: www.flysaa.com 
Twitter: @flysaa

SOURCE South African Airways