SACAA Annual Report 2022_23

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The organisation reported a tenth (10) clean audit in the last 11 years, as confirmed by the Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), with no findings attracted in the financial, supply chain management, and predetermined objectives as set out in the Annual Performance Plan of the organisation for the 2022/23 financial year. Whilst the organisation missed achieving all its targets by one target in the performance information report, it is encouraging to note that no findings were raised by the Auditor-General, signalling that the organisation’s monitoring and reporting are not only accurate but also reliable. STRENGTHENING OF THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OVERSIGHT SYSTEM Aviation Safety: The scheduled airline industry can be counted as one of the safest modes of transport, considering that South Africa has yet to record a fatal airline accident in more than thirty-six (36) years. This is a safety record we are proud of and want to maintain through continued diligent and consistent oversight, as we have done even in this reporting period. In 2021, the Minister of Transport directed the Regulator and the general aviation sector to reduce the number of accidents in this sector by 50%. Not only did the Regulator collaborate with the general aviation sector to reduce accidents but also to reduce fatal accidents and fatalities. It is pleasing, therefore, to report that a further reduction has been noted in the number of accidents, fatal accidents, and fatalities during the reporting period by 15%, 25% and 29%, respectively. As part of the SACAA’s mandate, the Regulator conducts scheduled and ad-hoc inspections on all active operators through the roll-out of the Master Surveillance and Oversight Plan. I am pleased to report that the Regulator exceeded the target of 95% in the aviation safety operations by 7,4%, aviation security by 9,5% and aviation safety infrastructure audit areas by 2,9%.

During the financial year, the organisation completed the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) that started in November 2021. From 11 to 14 July 2022, the FAA concluded their assessment with a physical visit and the final outcome indicated that South Africa retained its Category 1 Status in the FAA ratings. This outcome comes with the reassurance that South African operators can continue operating directly and unhindered in the US. In this period, South Africa was also scheduled in the 2023 cycle to form part of the ICAO’s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme Continuous Monitoring Approach, with the previous one having taken place in 2017. The audit was scheduled from 22 March to 3 April 2023. At the closing meeting, ICAO confirmed that South Africa had obtained a preliminary score of around 91,79% in the effective implementation of the critical elements of safety oversight. This is an excellent improvement from the previous score of 87,39% that South Africa had held before this audit, confirming the country as number 1 in Africa and among the top countries in the world, and the first African State to surpass the 90% mark in the USOAP CMA audit. The organisation is on track in terms of delivering on the Civil Aviation Safety Plan, which is aligned with ICAO’s Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP). In this regard, the State is reporting progress in all six GASP goals, as follows: • Zero fatal accidents in international commercial operations. • Safety Oversight Index that is greater than 1 in all categories. • Current EI score of over 90%. • State Safety Programme (SSP) foundation at 97,86%, and SSP implementation at level 3 of 4. • South Africa is participating in regional safety structures, among others.

General Information I Annual Report 2022/23 I 21