Guy,
The SAA airline tickets are not subsidised, as SAA would be unable to increase their prices by R500 per ticket on average in order to break-even.
Market forces determine route selling prices.

SAA as a whole is subsidised and this should stop at once. Your call for a revolt and for the subsidy to be stopped is well made.

You are right that there is an opportunity cost to the guarantees and cash injections - the money spent could and should have been put to far better and more productive use.

National airlines are vanity projects for hubristic politicians, who talk about them being national assets, when in fact SAA is a national liability.

Talking about hubris and vanity, I heard that one Minister (Public enterprises) even donned a SAA Captain's (Pilot) suit for a photo-shoot.
Imagine if an idiot like that ever became for instance Minister of Finance.

Oh, hang on a second..........................