The Competition Tribunal’s hearing on a potential merger between Takatso Aviation Consortium and South African Airways (SAA) is underway.

The Competition Commission has already given its approval for the controversial takeover which would see Takatso own a 51% stake in SAA and provide a capital injection of R3 billion over two years.

However, the Competition watchdog says certain conditions will need to be met. Among them is that minority partners in the consortium be removed to avoid decreasing competition in the domestic passenger market.

Some unions like the National Union of Metalworkers (Numsa) have slammed the privatization of the national carrier and the secrecy surrounding the Takatso deal. They want answers as to how this company was chosen.