Dudu Myeni faces hefty legal bill after legal challenge dismissed

Former SAA Chairperson Dudu Myeni has lost a protracted battle in court on Tuesday. The much-maligned representative of the Jacob Zuma administration is up against lobby group, the Organisation for Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), and they’ve landed their first serious blow on the former government official.

The High Court in Pretoria handed down the judgement, just minutes after proceedings began. If the case against her is successful, Myeni will not be allowed to serve on any boards for the foreseeable future.

Delinquency case to march on

OUTA are battling to have Dudu Myeni declared a “delinquent director”, after her management essentially ran South African Airways (SAA) into the ground. Many of the problems facing the airline today have been directly traced back to her actions and the people she had surrounded herself with.

Myeni is seen as one of the leading figureheads in the state capture plot, and allegedly enjoyed an extremely cosy relationship with the Gupta brothers. She has been implicated several times at the Zondo Commission for being present while the Indian billionaires conducted their shady business.

Dudu Myeni court ruling: What does she have to pay for?

However, the ex-SAA executive has been trying to postpone these proceedings for months – and she’s employed every trick in the book to drag it out for this long. As well as pleading poverty and the inability to attend the court battle, Myeni had previously altered her statements on the case, securing an adjournment.

No such shenanigans were tolerated on Tuesday, though. Her cantankerous approach to the legal process was nullified by Judge Ronel Tolmay, who decided that the delinquency trial must go ahead this year – the leave to appeal application was dismissed with costs Not only does this seriously jeopardise Dudu Myeni’s reputation, but the ruling could leave her seriously out of pocket.

• Myeni must pay the legal fees incurred by the complainants, OUTA and the SAA Pilots Association.
• The fees are immediately taxable, and it is likely she will have to fork-out a six-figure sum.
• The defendant has just 30 days to pay-up, or face further sanctions.

BREAKING NEWS: #DuduMyeni loses yet another round as judge dismisses Myeni’s attempt to appeal against Dec court ruling which says #OUTA has legal standing to bring the case. Myeni must pay OUTA’s costs in this failed application within 30 days.

— OUTA (@OUTASA) January 28, 2020