Pretoria – The Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Airport in Ulundi could be in for a multi-million rand revamp in a bid to boost the domestic economy.
The announcement was made by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Finance, Ina Cronje, when she undertook an inspection of the airport on Friday.
The inspection is part of her signature post-budget road show in the area, where she was sharing the priorities of the provincial budget and ensuring that communities get involved in governance.
The inspection revealed that the airport’s runway, among other things, has cracks, disaster management vehicles are faulty and insufficient, while the roof of the airport building is leaking.
“I felt I needed to take a closer look at this facility so that I can have a better picture of its current state. In as much as it is now operated by the Zululand District, but it remains a facility that the provincial government may want to revamp and we would like to see it functioning to its full potential for the benefit of the local economy. The possibility of the revamp will be a matter for Cabinet to discuss.
“We want to ensure that the budget makes the lives of the poor people better. It must speak to the lives of the people. It must also ensure growth of the provincial economy. The local airport’s revamp can ensure that the local economy grows and this will boost domestic tourism,” she said.
Deputy President of Makhosi Chamber of Commerce, Njabulo Dlomo, said they want the department to forge close links with them as well as other local structures to ensure that they are properly informed about government programmes and how they can benefit through them.
The Ulundi post-budget road show follows hot on the footsteps of the MEC’s visit to Msinga and Greytown last week. – BuaNews
