SACAA Annual Report 2022_23

PART A I General Information

ceremony that took place in November 2022. A wellness day that included a workout session and physical wellness checks for employees was conducted in December 2022. STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS AND SERVICE EXCELLENCE The organisation is rolling out a five-year Stakeholder Management Strategy, which was approved by the Board three years ago. The objective of this strategy is to ensure that the expectations of the SACAA stakeholders are not only known but that they are also met. The SACAA stakeholders have been mapped, analysed and prioritised. Stakeholder forums have been established and are being used to consult, engage and keep the industry informed of the Regulator’s plans and strategies. During this reporting period, all the stakeholder forums met in terms of the approved Terms of Reference developed for each forum. The SACAA has an obligation to educate the industry on any regulatory changes taking place within the civil aviation regulatory regime. Several industry workshops took place, covering various sectors of the industry including aerodromes, aviation environmental protection, aviation security, etc. The SACAA is also fulfilling its developmental obligation by implementing an outreach programme to create awareness among previously disadvantaged learners and educators. The SACAA has increased the number of learners reached to 39 962 learners, an increase from the 37 221 reached in the previous financial year. TRANSFORMATION WITHIN THE SACAA AND WITHIN THE INDUSTRY The SACAA’s racial profile continues to reflect the demographics of the country and this is an indication that the organisation is truly transformed, with 89% of the employees being black and 11% white. The

structure also showcases gender equality, with 51% of the staff being female and 49% male. There is a 50% female representation within the Executive, while 91% of the 11 members serving in the Executive are black. The aviation industry still has some catching up to do in terms of racial transformation and gender equality. For example, as of 31 March 2023, the licensing statistics indicated that female pilots’ licences in all categories stood at 883 African, 94 Coloured, 75 Indian and 1 066 White. Regarding male pilots’ licences in all categories, 1 740 were African, 377 Coloured, 392 Indian and 12 720 White. The SACAA continued to implement the External Bursary Programme that targets previously disadvantaged communities and students and aims to create a pipeline of qualified aviators. Since the launch of the bursary scheme, the organisation has supported in excess of 90 recipients in the pilot, aircraft maintenance and aeronautical engineering professions. For this reporting year, the organisation managed to provide financial and non-financial support to ten (10) nominated Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs). The organisation also paid ten SMMEs within 15 days of invoicing to boost the cash flow of these small businesses. REGIONAL COOPERATION MISSIONS The SACAA is in full support of ICAO’s “No Country Left Behind” (NCLB) Initiative, with the main goal being to assist struggling States with compliance to ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) so that all States can contribute to the socio-economic benefits brought about by a safe and reliable air transport system. The SACAA continues to advocate for regional cooperation with counterparts, primarily in the SADC region and elsewhere on the continent to achieve safety and security compliance with the ICAO SARPs. Therefore, I am pleased to report that 22 key

24 I Annual Report 2022/23 I General Information