Wonderboom Airport to anchor Tshwane’s economic revival

The Tshwane metro is aiming to turn the economy around with the Economic Revitalisation Strategy, and achieving a 3.9% annual growth rate by 2029.

As part of the strategy, the metro will be focusing on its underutilised assets led by the Wonderboom Airport, to create jobs, diversify its economy and attract investment.

Mayor Nasiphi Moya said it’s important for the metro to reverse economic stagnation.

“Tshwane’s economic growth rate stood at just 0.3% in 2023.

“With this strategy, we are not only aiming to recover but to thrive and achieve sustained, inclusive growth,” said Moya.

Wonderboom Airport, long seen as a sleeping giant, is now being positioned as a critical driver in the metro’s growth trajectory.

The strategy outlines its potential to support both cargo and passenger operations, act as a logistic hub, and enhance the metro’s connectivity to regional and international markets.

With Tshwane situated along the northern economic sector and within Gauteng, the airport offers a link to trade, tourism, and transportation networks.

The metro believes that investing in Wonderboom will open doors for partnerships in aviation training, aerospace maintenance, and logistics operations.

“Wonderboom Airport is more than a runway. It’s a runway to opportunity, one that can uplift entire communities if leveraged correctly,” added Moya.

According to metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, five of the 18 strategic interventions outlined in the airport’s turnaround plan had been completed as of October 2022.

These include crucial milestones, such as reclaiming the airport’s Category 5 licence, which was downgraded to Category 2 in 2019, and seeing a 64% growth in generated revenue between the 2020/21 financial year and the current fiscal period.

Mashigo said this growth marks an improvement, particularly when viewed against the airport’s performance in recent years.

The net loss margins, standing at -230 % in 2020/21, have now improved to -69 %, indicating a positive trajectory for the financial year.

Despite these achievements, the implementation process continues to face hurdles.

Mashigo said the financial crisis within the metro itself limits the availability of resources needed to further progress.

Wonderboom Airport’s future depends on finalising the airport’s master plan, development plan, and precinct pillar, all of which will guide its long-term growth and establish its role within the local and national air travel network.

Mashigo said these plans are expected to be concluded by December.

“The airport’s development will comply with international aviation standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), ensuring that environmental sustainability is a priority.

“While the operational aspects of the strategy are set to be completed by the 2025/26 financial year, the full realisation of the airport’s potential will be a long-term commitment.”

The master plan, once finalised, will guide the airport’s future development, dictating how it can expand, attract new airlines, and become a critical player in the regional and national air travel network.

In addition to Wonderboom Airport, several other metro-owned assets will be revitalised as part of the broader economic recovery vision.

These include:

– Bon Accord Asphalt Quarry

– Rooiwal and Pretoria West Power Stations

– Tshwane Fresh Produce Market

– Pretoria Showgrounds

– The Inner City Rejuvenation Programme.

Together, these assets form the backbone of the Economic Revitalisation Strategy, aiming to attract between R17-billion and R26-billion investment by 2029 and create over 80 000 jobs.

Pretoria Sakekamer chairperson, Fergus Ferguson, said there’s a need for an economic framework for the development of Tshwane.

“The needed economic framework is to ensure that the metro becomes a world-class economic hub by the year 2030.

“This will ensure that people and investors around the world will invest in Pretoria,” said Ferguson.

He said an economic policy framework will develop the elements that will ensure that the metro competes against the best in the world.

“The metro is a student-oriented city because we have few learning institutions. We have training facilities whereby most people such as municipal workers get trained here.

“I also believe that we have other facilities that we can train and develop tech companies.”

He said the generation of electricity in assets such as the Rooiwal and the Pretoria West Power Station can make a huge impact on the development of the metro in the next five to 10 years.

“The airport in Wonderboom needs to be developed to be a viable facility for training and goods, not for people and passengers only, but for goods and training purposes.

“Innovation should be top of the list. Tshwane needs innovation, they need to be much more aggressive in what they are doing.

“The metro can excel when they are innovative. The lack of maintenance in the metro is appalling.”

The strategy outlines 11 key objectives, ranging from infrastructure development and ease of doing business to innovation, rural development, and workforce readiness.

The approach is holistic, designed not only to stimulate economic growth but also to ensure that growth is inclusive.

Partnerships are at the core of the plan. The metro will actively engage with the private sector, diplomatic missions, and investors to breathe life into its assets.

Moya said the metro’s geographic footprint, the largest municipality by area in Gauteng, positions it uniquely for expansion.

She said the metro is a gateway to northern African markets and sits within a province that attracts 40% of South Africa’s foreign direct investment.

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