The Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa (Barsa) has announced the appointment of George Mothema to the position of CEO, with effect from November 15. Mothema takes over from Zuks Ramasia.

Mothema has a strong commercial legal background and comes to Barsa with a wealth of experience. Among other positions he has held are, Chairman of Board of Directors of the South African Postal Services and Post Bank, an Executive at SAA and Chairperson of SA Express. He is currently the Chairman of Aviation Co-ordination Services (ACS), a position that he will retain. He is also a member of the BRICS Aviation Task Team and a non-Executive Director of Afribiz Invest, an infrastructure-building company.

Mothema said: “The aviation landscape and way of doing business has changed drastically since the advent of COVID-19. The tight regulatory changes in compliance with COVID-19 have also not helped much. The impact of all these on the economy requires strategic changes in how government and its entities in the transport sector interact with the industry as a key player. As Barsa we definitely raise our hand to be part of creating seamless cohesion between the industry and Government stakeholders. The current political changes in the recent municipal elections present an opportunity for government to rethink its approach to business. I have confidence in the leadership of our government and believe that I am going to have meaningful engagements on industry issues.”

Wouter Vermeulen, Barsa Chair, said: “George joins us at a time when aviation is recovering and he will be a valuable asset to this recovery.”