Wonderboom airport to be sold

The Tshwane metro believes privatising the Wonderboom National Airport will be in its best interest. The airport will therefore be put up for sale soon.

The metro confirmed that they have done extensive research on the matter and that they are planning to sell the more than 75-year-old airport in the north of Pretoria.

According to Lindela Mashigo, spokesperson for the metro, the municipality believes it is in the best interest of the airport and its users that the facility be sold as airport development and operations are not the core business of local government.

“Local government has a constitutional obligation to address service delivery to the communities as a priority. The development of an airport is expensive and the municipality does not have the money to do it,” Mashigo said.

Mashigo added that, after conducting the necessary investigations, the metro found that the private sector can get access to the development funding that is required to develop the airport. This will productively contribute towards the economic development of the city.

Mashigo said the benefits of privatising the airport include, among others, quicker decision-making to capitalise on development opportunities within the aviation industry. Also, the management and development of the airport by a private entity will act as a catalyst for further private sector driven developments in the vicinity of the airport which will enhance the Tshwane 2055 Vision in terms of economic growth and job creation.

There were no official offers yet, however, the municipality has been approached by numerous interested private entities. Mashigo added that the selling process would be dealt with through a public bidding process as required by local government legislation.