Expresso February 2014

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c o r p o r a t e n e w s c o m pa n y e v e n t s l i f e s k i l l s

sa express employee magazine february 2014

love is in the air

2 expresso | february 2014

contents03 Message from the CEO

04 Customer Feedback

05 Executive Appointments

06 CHAN 2014

07 In Memoriam

08 Furniture Donation

09 Meeting Maxwell

11 Keeping Meetings on Track

13 Health and Wellness

14 Recipes

15 Sudoku

16 Birthdays

talk to expressoExpresso is all about you. We want to know what you think, what you’re doing and what you’d like to share with the rest of SAX. Send your input to [email protected], Please send us your favourite recipes, holiday pictures and any interesting company news. We would love to share them with everybody.

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3expresso | february 2014

Dear fellow SAX employees

We are already in the second month of the year. I hope that you remain committed to the goals that you set at the beginning of the year and are soldiering on to achieve them.

As you are aware, 2014 is a milestone year for SA Express and South Africa. Both the airline and the country are celebrating 20 years of success. As SA Express we will join other state-owned companies and state agencies and, generally, fellow South Africans in celebrating the 20th anniversary of our freedom and democracy. Thank you for making SA Express the best company to work you for the last 20 years, and I know that together, we will make the next 20 years even more memorable.

We are also approaching the last two months before the conclusion of our current financial year. In the past ten months, we have made significant progress in turning our company around. I encourage each and every one of you to push even harder in these two months to ensure that we meet our targets for this financial year. This is the time when we need to pull together as an organisation so that we reach the finish line together.

SA Express also partnered with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to host a successful CHAN tournament. As a child of the new South Africa and celebrating 20 years of freedom, it is always an honour for SA Express to fly the national flag as well as to work closely with other stakeholders to push our brand forward. I’m very proud of the SA Express team that worked tirelessly to make this tournament a success. I would also like to congratulate all the players from across the African continent for showcasing their talents in our beautiful stadia.

February is also the month of love. I hope you will put in extra effort to bring joy to the people who are close to you. I wish you and your loved ones a happy Valentine’s Day.

RegardsInati


Dear Customer Care

Admiration, praise and

professionalism are the words

I reserve for your pilots on a

recent flight which had to be re-directed from

Pietermaritzburg to Durban due to inclement weather conditions. As

one who silently endures flight jitters generally, I was apprehensive

when it was announced that we had to be taken to Durban, rather

than landing at Pietermaritzburg.

I commend the professional manner in which the pilots redirected

the plane with utmost ease and so smoothly that any apprehension

I may have had about the awkward situation soon dissipated. The

pilots were re-assuring, comforting and confident, which had the

effect of putting everyone at ease. Well done!

Although there were some delays in securing a shuttle back to

Pietermaritzburg – which could be dealt with by having a better

contingency plan for future occurrences – in the end I was quite

secure in the knowledge that you have safe, secure, effective and

properly trained pilots.

Thank you. Rashid Patel

To whom it may concern

I recently flew from Johannesburg to East London on SA Express. Your flight attendants offered good service during the flight, everything was above standard and even the announcements were clear. The refreshments offered were also delicious.Please keep up the good work and continue to stick to the principles of good customer service management.

RegardsSiphiwo Ncobo

Dear SA Express

Upon boarding a SAX flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg on a warm afternoon, the pilot informed us that the APU was not functioning correctly, and therefore the air conditioner could only be switched on once the engines were running and we had started to taxi. We were already 20 minutes late on departure, and I expected this to be a very unpleasant experience.

No sooner had we all taken our seats, and the air hostesses were doing the rounds delivering bottles of water to all the passengers before the plane had even started to taxi. In true South African style, I began to think to myself that the best they could do was warm bottles of water, when right behind the first hostess was the second one handing out cups filled with ice.It is very seldom that such excellent initiative is shown in the South African airline industry, and I would just like to commend the ladies for their excellent quick thinking and great service for the remainder of the flight.Whenever there is an option, I will always choose SA Express. Keep up the good work.

Wesley Tucker

Dear SA Express

I would like to express my appreciation and

gratitude for the friendliness of the staff at SA

Express. It does not matter what time of the day it

is – be it early morning or evening – there is such warmth

expressed by all of the staff on board your flights!

It’s truly amazing to feel this, especially in the early morning

when most of us are tired and really grumpy. Your staff make

everyone feel special, one cannot help smiling.

Keep up the exceptional work, warmth and bright smiles.

Warm regards

Craig Tessendorf

customer feedback


I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Bongani Mathebula as the new Company Secretary and Ms Merriam Chueu as the new General Manager for Legal, Risk and Compliance at SA Express. In these capacities, these two

ladies will join the company’s Executive Committee and Ms Mathebula will assist the Board of Directors of SA Express.

These appointments are part of our ongoing efforts to cement the turnaround of the company by strengthening the

internal control environment and by adherence to the highest standards of corporate governance by appointing suitably qualified professionals to head up the mission-critical posts of company secretary as well as legal, risk and compliance.

The appointments also demonstrate our commitment to leading transformation in the aviation sector.

Already, SA Express is by far the most transformed airline in South Africa. Our pilot complement far surpasses that of our peers. Through resolute commitment to training we are now in a position to make pilots available to sister airlines.

We are fortunate to have attracted strong calibre women to strengthen our management team. I’m especially pleased that this pair has accepted our offer to join the public sector in order to contribute to the country’s economic development.

Both bring a wealth of regulatory and compliance experience to take SA Express to the next level of its journey of becoming an African regional feeder airline that connects small and bigger cities to stimulate trade, business and tourism in South Africa and its neighbouring countries.

I welcome them to the SA Express family. They enjoy both my support and respect. I look forward to working with both of them.

Women on top executive appointments

company news

by inati ntshanga, ceo

Bongani Mathebula

Merriam Chueu


It was with great pride that SA Express was named as the exclusive carrier of choice for all travel related to the Orange African Nations Championship 2014 (CHAN) by constituent groups, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Local Organising Committee (LOC) officials.

The LOC CEO, Mr Mvuzo Mbebe expressed his gratitude for the commitment and support shown by SA Express in the development of African football. “SA Express has over the years maintained their high reputation in being ranked amongst the best, safest and most secure airlines within the aviation fraternity and, as the LOC, this partnership has assisted us in delivering a world class CHAN 2014 for South Africans and the entire continent.”

The sentiments of Mr Mbebe were echoed by our CEO, Mr Inati Ntshanga: “We were very proud to be associated with the Orange African Nations Championship 2014; one of the best sporting properties on the African football calendar. It was a magnificent opportunity for SA Express, as a premier African regional airline, to connect soccer lovers – fans and administrators alike – with their teams in their preferred destinations as part of hosting the beautiful game in our country.”

Post the 2010 World Cup, as a soccer loving nation; we have once again proved to the world that we are capable of flawlessly hosting prestigious tournaments. A big congratulation to the LOC and the SA Express team for making this a successful collaboration.

sa express flying the orange chan 2014 flag

company news


SA Express was deeply saddened by the passing of Melina Valashiya. Ausi Melina, as we fondly called her, passed away on 17th January 2014 and was laid to rest on 25th January 2014.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Valashiya family. As fellow colleagues, we would like to thank her family for all of the joy that they brought to her life. We also owe them an enormous debt of gratitude for the comfort and care that they have given to one of our own. We can only imagine how difficult it has been.

Ausi Melina was with SA Express since its inception in 1994. In August, she would have celebrated 20 years with us. That is commitment and a rare and commendable milestone. Those are the colleagues that we look up to in creating a positive office culture because they had the fortitude to believe in the humble beginnings of this company and soldiered on to make it the organisation that it is today. Over the past 20 years, SA Express has been successful largely because we value our long-term employees, their contributions and dedication.

Ausi Melina’s attitude of “betting on herself” resulted in her completing a SAX ABET Programme which contributed to her promotion to filing clerk in the Finance Department.

We are grateful to her for generously sharing her time and skills. She leaves us a rich legacy characterised by commitment, steadfastness and resilience.

Any colleague here would tell you that Ausi Melina was a visible and recognisable force within the office. Be ku wu muntu wa bantu (A people’s person). She not only delivered your mail but also brought a little “something something” with her. So I know that she is already sorely missed because her colleagues are not getting their usual fix of kipkips and atchaars.

We would also like to thank our fellow colleagues for organising such a moving memorial service, as well as taking the time to attend Ausi Melina’s funeral.

To the Valashiya family, you remain in our thoughts and prayers.

events, people & places

remembering one of our oWn: melina valashiya


We are pleased to announce that we have donated our old boardroom furniture to three schools and a training institute as part of our CSI and SED outreach programme. The beneficiaries are:

- David Makubu High School in Kaalfontein, Midrand- Fumana High School in Katlehong- Mehlareng Primary School in Bapsfontein- Haggai Training Consultants in BoksburgHopefully, through this modest gesture, we will be able to make the students’ lives a little easier than they have

been so far. Our aspiration is to deepen our engagement with communities where we have operations. We don’t want to just have a commercial and transactional relationship – where we sell tickets to business people and tourists to fly in and out of our destinations. We want to be actively involved in the lives of the people of those communities. We want to be part of their success. We want to grow with them.

Community development is a growing area for us at SA Express. Our philosophy is that development is too big a challenge to privatise and hog. We believe real development will only come when we join hands with like-minded partners, both state and non-state actors.

Everywhere we go, we will look out for partners who share the same values as us and partner with them. For example, through our shareholder, the DPE, we are involved in a series of community investment programmes around the country.

The other principle that is guiding our work in social investment is to ensure that we don’t impose our ideas and plans on host communities. We will work with host communities to contribute in areas that they, themselves, have identified as important. We will not tell them that they need crèches in an area that does not have many children, for example. Instead we will listen to what really matters to them.

As part of our commitment to making a difference, we will also be encouraging our employees to contribute their skills and their time to their communities throughout the year.

furniture Donation to schools



American singer-songwriter and Grammy award winning artist Maxwell was recently in South Africa on tour. We caught up with him as he boarded a SA Express plane to Hoedspruit.

Expresso: You were in South Africa during a historic moment for our country and the rest of the world when Madiba passed on. Can you share your feelings on that?

Maxwell: The fact that I’m here doing shows during this important time in Africa’s history blows my mind. My manager of 20 years was living here in Africa. His last time in Cape Town was at the age of 22 and he’s now 50. We have been working together for over 22 years. Mandela is one of his heroes, as he is mine.

In America, we also have a lot of people who made great changes, from Martin Luther King to Malcolm X, but they died young. They were all basically assassinated.

The most beautiful experience with Mandela, or as you guys call him, “Madiba”, is that he got to live a full, long life. Even though 27 years of his life were taken when he was jailed, he was released and he could see his grandchildren. The Mandela movie which Idris Alba just did is almost like he knew… It’s as if everything is a ladder planned for him to go to heaven. This is what I feel. So it’s incredible to be here.

Expresso: You incorporated Madiba into your shows. What inspired that?Maxwell: How do you not do that? I mean, I’m in South Africa when the greatest man that ever lived in Africa passes

away. We just had to do it. We definitely scrambled, but we put in his first speech when he was president, and we obviously incorporated “Black President”, one of the famous songs that is connected with him.

For me, this is really the home where every black person comes from. Maybe it’s a bit presumptuous, judging from

up close anD personal With maxWell



my skin colour, but I believe the entire human race originated here. This is how I feel. I feel like God gave me a gift by my being here.

Expresso: You disappeared from the music scene for a couple of years. Where were you?

Maxwell: I just needed to be normal. I didn’t want the responsibility of being called a role model, because I had that role since I was 21 years old. I had to go out and have a good time, meet girls, which I think every human being should have. When you’re in the spotlight, you’re kind of perfect, never doing anything bad, never making any mistakes. You kind of get too complex about being perfect. After I got all my imperfections out of the way, coming back to Africa and doing these shows was a boost to my self-esteem. I now believe there is still a lot I can do for my career.

People don’t realise how heavy it can be to be in the spotlight. Take a look at someone like Michael Jackson, whom I love. He is the most incredible artist that has ever lived, but you feel for him because it’s like he has never had a moment to not be something for everyone else. He never had that moment, and that could really make you crazy over time. I took my moment because life is too short. I think even the timing was right. God protected me and let me do it. I’m glad that you guys are around to listen to what I have to say, sing and write.

Expresso: When you get back to the States and they ask you to describe South Africa and its people, what will you tell them?

Maxwell: I will say they are the people of the sun. They are the sun. I never thought I would come to Africa and that everyone would show me so much love. Everybody has an issue and situation, but to come here from where I have been and to be received like this, I cannot even tell you. It’s crazy man! I’ve been inspired already.

I’m finishing this album and we released a new song and performed it for the first time ever here. I have pretty good luck with you guys. When I performed in South Africa the last time I was here, I performed “Pretty Wings” for the first time and it has done well. So I think that you guys have good karma.

Expresso: You flew on SA Express before to Walvis Bay and now you are flying to Hoedspruit. What has been your experience flying SA Express?

Maxwell: You have the most beautiful crew I have ever seen. I don’t know what to say, but it’s going to be tough going back to New York after the love I’ve received here. It keeps me humble, it keeps me balanced. It’s all good!



by amy gallo, Harvard Business review

There’s nothing more annoying than a meeting that goes on and on and on. As a manager, it’s your job to make sure people don’t go off on tangents or give endless speeches. But how can you keep people focused without being a taskmaster or squashing creativity?

What the Experts SayThe good news is that meeting management isn’t rocket

science; you probably already know what you should be doing. The bad news is that keeping your meeting on track takes discipline, and few people make the effort to get it right. “The fact is people haven’t thought about how to run a good meeting, or they’ve never been trained, or they’re simply too busy,” says Bob Pozen, a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, senior fellow at Brookings Institute, and author of Extreme Productivity. “Organisations are moving faster and faster these days and few managers have time to think through their meetings in advance,” says Roger Schwarz, an organisational psychologist and author of Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams. But rushing now is only going to cost you more time later. So whether you’re getting ready for a weekly team meeting or convening a larger group to discuss your division’s strategy, it’s important to put in the effort. Here’s how to make your next meeting your most productive one yet.

Make the Purpose ClearYou can head off a lot of problems by stating the reason for

getting together right up front. Schwarz recalls seeing a sign in a conference room at Intel’s headquarters that read: “If you don’t know the purpose of your meeting, you are prohibited from starting”. This is a wise rule. Send an agenda and any background materials ahead of time so people know what you’ll cover. Consider sending a list of things that won’t be discussed in the meeting as well. Schwarz suggests that you list agenda items as a question. Rather than “Discuss video schedule” write “When will videos be completed?” to show what outcome you have in mind. Next to each item, you can also indicate participants’ roles. Are they sharing information, contributing ideas, or making a decision?

Control the SizeMeetings can get out of control if there are too many people

in the room. “Chances are they won’t be attentive or take

responsibility for what’s happening,” says Pozen. But with too few people, you may not have enough diversity of opinion. Only include those who are critical to the meeting. “Don’t feel you have to invite everyone who ever thought about the problem,” he says. “If you think someone might be offended, you can send out a memo and loop back with them afterward so they know what’s happening.”

Set the Right ToneAs a manager, it’s up to you to ensure that people feel

comfortable enough to contribute. “You’re there to be a steward of all the ideas in the room,” says Schwarz. Set the right tone by modeling a learning mindset. Instead of using the time to convince people of your viewpoint, be open to hearing other’s perspectives. Explain that you don’t have all the answers, nor does anyone else in the room. Be willing to be wrong. Schwarz says you want “participants to see the team meeting as a puzzle. Their role is to get the pieces out on the table and figure out how they fit together.”

Manage Ramblers“People often give speeches instead of asking questions,”

says Pozen. It’s tough to cut a rambler off, but sometimes it’s necessary. Schwarz suggests saying: “OK, Bob, you’re absolutely right and is it ok if we talk about that later?” Getting his buy-in will ensure that he doesn’t return to his speech at the next opportunity. For someone who is prone to long-windedness, talk with her ahead of time or during a break, and ask that she keep her comments to a minimum to allow others to be heard.

Control TangentsSometimes it’s not that an individual goes on too long but

he raises extraneous points. “If two or three people bring up things that are contiguous but not really related, the meeting can degenerate,” says Pozen. Try to refocus them on the stated agenda. On occasion, someone may intentionally go on a tangent. Maybe he feels territorial about a decision you’re making or is unhappy with the direction you’re taking the conversation. Rather than accuse the person of trying to derail your meeting, ask what’s going on. Pozen suggests you say something like: “You’ve diverted us several times. Is there something that is bothering you?” Addressing the underlying

Business

the seven imperatives to keeping meetings on track


issue head on can help appease the dissenter and get your meeting back on topic.

Make Careful Transitions“Typically leaders go from topic to topic, moving ahead

when they’re ready to,” says Schwarz. “But people don’t always move with you and they may get stuck in the past.” Before you transition from one agenda item to another, ask if everyone is finished with the current topic. “You need to give people enough air time,” says Pozen. This will help keep the conversation focused.

End the Meeting WellA productive meeting needs to end on the right note to set

the stage for the work to continue. Pozen suggests you ask participants: “What do we see as the next steps? Who should take responsibility for them? And what should the timeframe be?” Record the answers and send out an email so that everyone is on the same page. This helps with accountability, too. “No one can say they’re not sure what really happened,”

says Pozen.

Principles to RememberDo:• Make the meeting purpose clear and send an agenda out

ahead of time• Talk to anyone who might monopolise meeting time

before you get in the room and ask him to keep comments to a minimum

• Send out a follow-up email after the meeting that lists next steps, who’s responsible for them, and when they’ll get done

Don’t:• Feel obliged to invite lots of people; only include those

who are critical to making progress• Move on to a new topic until everyone feels they’ve

been heard• Let the group get distracted by tangents; ask if you can

address unrelated topics another time

Business


As a company, we pride ourselves on paying particular attention to the health and wellness of our employees. This refers to their general state of wellbeing, be it physical, emotional or psycho-social. We recognise that the health and wellness of our employees is one of the critical success factors that contributes to us being able to differentiate and grow our business. As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the health and wellness of our employees, we are investigating partnerships with health and wellness service providers. We hope to negotiate better rates and terms through a

corporate agreement which will ultimately benefit all employees by supporting them on their road to a healthier lifestyle.

Phela-Live is a wellness centre situated at OR Tambo International Airport, a stone’s throw away from our Head Office. The proximity and safe parking should go a long way towards encouraging everyone to take care of their health. In order for us to determine the interest in Phela-Live Wellness Centre, please read through the benefits below and give us your opinion by completing the attached survey.

Phela-Live Wellness Centre:• Open 7 days a week• 2 hrs free parking• Personal Training Programme• Personal coach• More than 35 group training classes per week• Spinning• Sauna• 5-star locker rooms • World class technogym equipment and key system• My Wellness Cloud which records all your actions in

the gym• Discovery Vitality kiosk• Access to full Camelot Spa at

hugely reduced rates• Juice bar + free WiFi

health & wellness

Wellness is Winning

Survey

Name & Surname: _________________________Tel: ___________________

Email _________________________Employee number: _______

Current member of a gym: Yes / No Vitality member: Yes / No

Select one:

Lose weight Build muscle Tone

What price range are you willing to pay:

R200-R250 R250 – R300 R300 – R350

Complete the survey; drop it in the SA Express box at the Phela-Live Wellness Centre to

qualify for your Free Workout Voucher. Survey ends 28th February 2014.


banana spring roll With DrieD fruit compote anD gooseberries(ServeS 2)

ingreDients3 bananas25 g cashew nuts5 g salted peanuts210 g dark chocolate400 ml water120 g cream40 g cocoa powder120 g sugar4 sprigs of mint 1 tablespoon honey1 tot banana liqueur1 teaspoon coconut flakes10 spring roll pastry sheets500 g dried fruit mixture50 g sultanas3 tots brandy200 ml apricot juice50 g gooseberries

4 l vegetable oil1 lemon1 eggpastry brush

methoDfilling

peel the bananas and slice them into 1 cm cubes. chop 50 g of the dark chocolate very finely and add it to the bananas. Finely chop the cashew nuts, peanuts and two or three sprigs of mint, and add them to the banana mixture. add the honey, banana liqueur and coconut flakes (the filling should be quite firm and not runny). Leave the mixture to rest in the fridge for two hours.

Dried fruit compotefinely chop the dried fruit and sultanas. add the brandy and the

apricot juice. place the mixture in a pot on the stove and gently cook it until the fruit is soft and the mixture becomes sticky. once soft, pour the mixture out of the pot and allow it to cool.

chocolate saucebring the water and sugar to the boil. add the chocolate and

cocoa powder. mix the cream into the mixture and allow it to cool (not in the fridge).

pastrytake a defrosted spring roll pastry sheet and brush the edges of

the pastry with beaten egg. Place two tablespoons of filling in the middle of the spring roll. fold over the left and right edges towards the centre and roll it into a cigar shape. Continue until all of the filling has been used.

frying heat the oil to a temperature of roughly 180 °c. gently drop the

spring rolls into the oil (not more than two at a time). Fry until they are golden brown, and then remove and place them on a paper towel.

platingusing an ice cream scoop, place two balls of the compote in

the middle of the plate. Cut the ends off the spring rolls and slice them diagonally through the centre so that you have two equal sized pieces. garnish your plate with chocolate sauce, gooseberries and mint leaves.

tipyou can replace the gooseberries with any other kind of small

berry. You can also change the filling to a different fruit, for example, grapes, apples or pears. it is important to note that the rolled spring roll pastry must not be open at the ends; otherwise the filling will escape during the frying process. when you store the chocolate sauce in the fridge, you can heat it up in the microwave, but be careful not to overheat it, otherwise the fat will separate.

this recipe is courtesy of Bosman’s Restaurant at the Grande Roche Hotel, which has been acknowledged as one of the top 100 restaurants in the world. For more information, visit www.granderoche.co.za.

Recipes


sudoku

9 3 4

8 2 6

3 9 7

4 7

5 8

6 5

6 1 2

9 4 5

7 3 1

1 4 6 2

6 8 4 1

2 7 4

6 9 3

1 9 3

5 1 6

3 9 6 7

7 9 3

7 4 3

7

8 3 1 5

4 9 7

8 6 1

6 1 5 2

1 3 9

4 2 5

3 2 6 8

9

9 6 1

4 7 8

6 1 9 5

3 4 5

7 5 9

2 9 6 8

3 1 2

8 3 1

1 5 3 4


birthdaysbirthdays

februaryNAME DEpT DAy

VAN SCHALKWYK C Durban Flight Ops 21BILLINGS EA Crew Admin Training & Plan-

ning22

HALL ESF Bloemfontein 22NEL ES Cape Town Cabin Services 22RASELEMANE IT Bloemfontein 22CHUEU MM Legal, Risk & Compliance 23ELOFF DC Flight Operations JHB 23LAURENCE RO Flight Operations JHB 23MAPONYA MF Finance 23MOLLO DP Line Maintenance JHB 23MOTSIRI MM Bloemfontein 23STEVENS A Durban Flight Ops 23GREEN ROM Flight Operations JHB 25MTHEMBU K Flight Operations JHB 25NELUHENI ZW Technical Training 26OBERHOLZER PJT Line Maintenance JHB 26SHITLHABANE M Planning 26KWETE TK Line Maintenance JHB 27BROWN GP Durban Flight Ops 28MAKHAYA PS Cabin Services 28MARTIN TN Sales 28SIBAMBO ZJ Heavy Maintenance 28DE WITT LP Heavy Maintenance 6NEETHLING FJ Heavy Maintenance 7ALBRECHT H Heavy Maintenance 7SIBEKO LT Supply Chain Technical 7RASINABO P Workshops 8MOTAU ML Cabin Services 9MATHIR F Cape Town Cabin Services 9CLAASENS JPC Workshops 9SKHOSANA AP Durban Cabin Services 10

CHANGUION DM Flight Operations JHB 10

MOGOTSI LE Flight Operations JHB 10

DU PLESSIS R Line Maintenance JHB 10MURUGAN N Richards Bay 10GUTSIRE D Gabs Office African Expan &

Alliance10

HERMANUS WP Ground Operations 10MVUMBI PB Human Capital 11MOLATLHWE KW Kimberley 12VILAKAZI TM Occ Operations 12MWALE M Revenue Management 12VAN WYK NU Workshops 13MOLEFE BJ Kimberley Cargo 14

Expresso February 2014

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