SAA’s $60 Million Zimbabwe Debt Remains Unpaid

On Aug 27, 2026

South African Airways is still struggling to recover roughly ZAR1 billion ($59 million-$60 million) in ticket-sale proceeds trapped in Zimbabwe, despite years of negotiations and efforts by the South African government to resolve the dispute through diplomatic channels.

The long-running issue returned to the spotlight on August 25, 2026, when South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) briefed Parliament’s Standing Committee on Appropriations on approximately ZAR1.4 billion owed to South Africa by foreign countries. Parliament had specifically requested an update on efforts to repatriate money owed by Zimbabwe to state-owned South African Airways.

The SAA claim represents the majority of that ZAR1.4 billion total. The money largely stems from ticket sales generated by SAA’s Zimbabwe operations that could not be converted into foreign currency and transferred out of the country because of Zimbabwe’s chronic foreign-exchange shortages.

The problem has persisted for years as Zimbabwe struggled with shortages of hard currency that left international airlines and other foreign companies unable to repatriate locally generated revenue.

SAA previously disclosed in 2024 that approximately ZAR1 billion remained outstanding. Zimbabwe had proposed repaying the remaining balance at a rate of $1 million per quarter, a schedule that would have taken more than 16 years to complete. Then-SAA chief financial officer Lindsay Olitzski said at the time that the airline had not received payments under the proposed arrangement. More recent reporting indicates that no payments have subsequently been made.

The debt has consequently been fully impaired in SAA’s accounts, reflecting the airline’s assessment that recovery was sufficiently uncertain that the receivable could no longer be carried at its original value.

The issue has now escalated beyond airline-level negotiations. South African broadcaster Newzroom Afrika reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa have discussed the outstanding funds. The timing is significant: Ramaphosa hosted Mnangagwa in Pretoria on August 21 for the fourth South Africa-Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission, providing another high-level diplomatic channel through which the countries could address unresolved bilateral issues.

The financial dispute is further complicated by a separate Zimbabwean claim against SAA for unpaid meteorological services.

Zimbabwe’s authorities pursued SAA through the courts over meteorological weather-service charges accumulated over a number of years. Court records show that the dispute involved fees charged to SAA for meteorological services alongside landing, en-route and departure charges administered through Zimbabwe’s aviation system. SAA argued, among other things, that some of the meteorological charges duplicated other aviation fees.

According to reporting on the latest dispute, Zimbabwe claimed approximately $2.4 million from SAA in outstanding meteorological fees. After losing the court challenge, SAA paid part of the amount and sought to have the remaining liability offset against the much larger sum Zimbabwe owes the airline.

The underlying SAA funds were generated through the carrier’s Zimbabwe network, including services connecting Johannesburg with Harare and Victoria Falls. Zimbabwe’s inability to release foreign currency meant revenue collected locally could not be fully transferred back to South Africa.

SAA says the matter is now being handled at government level rather than through ordinary commercial negotiations.

“Given the nature and complexity of the matter, it has been elevated to the appropriate government authorities and is currently being addressed through established bilateral government-to-government processes,” SAA Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Mphilo Dlamini said. “At this stage, we have no further comment to add.”

SAA identifies Dlamini as its Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, rather than simply a spokesperson.

With approximately ZAR1 billion still outstanding, Zimbabwe remains by far the most significant component of the ZAR1.4 billion in foreign-country debts highlighted by South Africa’s Parliament. The August 25 briefing underscores how what began as an airline foreign-exchange problem has evolved into a government-to-government financial dispute with no publicly confirmed repayment timetable.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com

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