Guy,
You are correct to castigate SAA and the very poor record of management and leadership of the airline, but some of your thinking is woolly.

Yes, the taxpayers are prejudiced by having to bail out SAA each year (plus having 20 billon in guarantees which are contingent liabilities), but this does not amount to subsidising the rich passengers.
The losses do not make the ticket price cheaper than it should have been - ticket prices are a function of market forces.
In the absence of SAA, BA, Emirates, Ehiopian or Kenyan Airways would easily take up the slack with no adverse effects on ticket prices (they might even come down).

Dudu Myeni is on record (source: SAA In-flight magazine / rag "Sawubona", edited by the lovely but captured Ms Dhlomo) as saying that transformation is the primary and main goal- in one editorial, she expressed "sadness" at those that are pre-occupied with the financial performance of the airline and the need to run at a profit.

Unbelievable but true