SAA has suspended its executive responsible for human resources.
"There is currently no basis for SAA to disclose the circumstances around her suspension," SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali told Fin24 on Thursday evening.
"It is important that we preserve the integrity of the processes we have undertaken. (It must be) underpinned by fairness and respect for the rights of individuals."
Mail & Guardian reported on Wednesday that employees in the HR unit had been informed earlier in the day that SAA general manager of human resources Vuyi Raseroka had been placed on precautionary suspension and that she would not be reporting for duty pending a disciplinary hearing.
It has been a challenging week for the beleaguered state-owned airline, which on Wednesday made headlines when two flight attendants were arrested on drug trafficking charges, News24 reported.
The airline also failed to submit its audited annual reports to Parliament timeously amid severe financial challenges, Fin24 reported. It has failed to hand in its annual report on time for several years running and has required multiple bailouts.
Raseroka joined SAA in 2017, according to her LinkedIn profile, and until late in 2018 was publicly referred to as interim general manager of human resources.
She has held senior HR executive positions at MultiChoice, Telkom, Vodacom and BP.