[7] In June 2021, the South African government announced that SAA would be partially privatised in a Strategic Equity Partnership (SEP) transaction with the Takatso Consortium, which would hold a 51% controlling stake and 49% remaining with the State.

[8] The South African Civil Aviation Authority confirmed on 4 August 2021 that SAA's air operator's certificate had been reissued with an approved fleet of eight aircraft.

[17] On 1 February the following year, the carrier acquired Suidwes Lugdiens / South West Airways (now Air Namibia),[13] which had since 1932 been providing a weekly air-mail service between Windhoek and Kimberley.

[13] On 1 July 1935, SAA moved its operations to Rand Airport as it became increasingly obvious that Johannesburg would become the country's aviation hub, which coincided with the launching of Rand–Durban–East London–Port Elizabeth–Cape Town services.

[13] The airline experienced a rapid expansion during this time, but also suffered its first accident; one of the newly delivered Ju 52s crashed after takeoff from Rand Airport in July 1937, with one reported fatality.

[18] Following World War II, frequencies were increased and more routes were opened, which necessitated the conversion of three South African Air Force Envoys to passenger layout.

On 10 November 1945, SAA achieved a longtime company goal by operating a route to Europe when an Avro York landed in Bournemouth, England, after the long flight from Palmietfontein Airport near Johannesburg.

[23] Three months after arrival, on 1 October 1960, the Boeing 707 was deployed on the airline's flagship Springbok Service, trimming the flying time to London to 13 hours.

The choice of 727 was based on the geography of the destinations to which it would fly; for example Johannesburg is 1,694 metres (5,558 ft) high and hot, where the 727's wings and other technical capabilities enable it to operate out of such airports.

[26] The 747SP, especially, was acquired to overcome the refusal of many countries to allow SAA to use their airspace by exploiting its long-range capabilities, as well as to serve lower-density routes which were unsuited to the 747-200.

[13] When countries withdrew landing rights for SAA, the airline leased its aircraft and crews to Canada, Mauritius, Brazil, Morocco and Luxembourg.

[33] On 28 November 1987, South African Airways Flight 295, a Boeing 747-200 Combi en route from Taipei to Johannesburg with a stopover in Mauritrius experienced a catastrophic in-flight fire in the cargo area, broke up in mid-air, and crashed into the Indian Ocean east of Mauritius, killing all 159 people on board.

Flights to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport resumed in November 1991[38] and SAA's planes were able to fly for the first time over Egypt and Sudan, on 8 September.

[26] Winglets, structural changes and fuel-efficient engines enabled these aircraft to fly non-stop from South Africa to the east coast of the United States.

[50] Swissair's costly purchases of SAA's and many other large international airlines' shares led directly to its own shocking bankruptcy filing, on 1 April 2002.

According to then-CEO Khaya Ngqula, this came largely after "uncompetitive ownership and aircraft lease costs, excessive head count and fuel price volatility".

[68] On 20 June 2008, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) agreed to extend South African Airways' sponsorship of the organisation another 3 and a half years.

In 2010, the company sought to recover $4 million from then-CEO Khaya Ngqula, for allegedly spending the money on his friends and awarding business deals with organisations and individuals in which he had an interest.

[78] In June 2015, the acting CEO stated that London, New York City, Hong Kong, Munich, Frankfurt and Perth were the only profitable long-haul routes; all others were loss-making.

The South African treasury asked the Public Investment Corporation, which controls government pension funds, for R100 billion to help bail out state-owned enterprises, including SAA.

[82] On 5 December 2019, the government of South Africa announced that SAA would enter into bankruptcy protection, as the airline had not turned a profit since 2011 and had run out of money.

[89][90] When Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan later tried to justify the notion that the business rescue practitioners are accountable to him and not to the courts, Jonker pointed out that such a state of affairs would be unconstitutional.

[91] In April 2020, following a request for further emergency financing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the South African government announced that it would stop funding the airline with immediate effect.

[99] On 21 August 2020, The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) appointed Rand Merchant Bank to help with negotiations with private entities interested in buying into the country's insolvent national carrier, which needed at least R10 billion to resume operations.

[citation needed] As of February 2021, the South African government was in talks with three potential investors to revive the airline and resume operations, with a massively-reduced workforce.

In the address in which he announced the takeover, Pravin Gordhan, the Minister of Public Enterprises, revealed that SAA would receive a R3 billion boost in investment from the new partners.

[107] In an interview on 26 November 2021, Gordhan reiterated that the South African government still expects to complete the transaction with the Takatso Consortium in early 2022, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

[108] In October 2022, SAA expanded its fleet with the addition of 2 Airbus A320-200 and added new routes from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Windhoek, Namibia.

[166][167] Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse and the South African Airways Pilots' Association (SAAPA) called six witnesses against Myeni, including four former SAA executives.

[168][169] In closing argument, the counsel for the plaintiffs, Advocate Carol Steinberg, said during her time at SAA, Ms Myeni blocked, delayed and obstructed important initiatives to turn the airline around.