FASTEN YOUR SEATBELT & PRAY

South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is a stand-alone government agency responsible for civil aviation safety. The agency is concerned with ensuring that aircraft flying in South African airspace are airworthy. Although a government agency, CAA is considered independent, manages its own activities, and does not depend on larger government for approval. Its independence is pivotal to civil aviation safety and security. CAA's independence was brought into question after it grounded SA Express for serious systemic problems that were putting passengers' lives at risk. Just one day later, after being grounded, SA Express was Inexplicably again flying South Africa's skies. How could a decision to ground SA Express for serious systemic failures be reversed overnight? One possibility for the reversal was Department of Public Enterprises intervention on behalf of SA Express - a critical source of passenger revenue for the money-losing national airline SAA. Whatever the reason for reversing the no-fly order certainly does not engender confidence in SA Express or CAA. One thing, however, is clear: forewarned is forearmed as simply fastening one's seat belt may not be enough.