Kwekwe seeks partner to build airport

KWEKWE City Council has identified land and is now seeking partners for the construction of a multimillion dollar airport, the local authority’s director of works, Engineer John Mhike has said.

In an interview, Eng Mhike said the land was located along Chiwundura Road and was big enough for construction of an international airport.

“We have set aside a considerable piece of land along Chiwundura Road for the construction of an airport. For now I am not sure of the size of the land but it is big enough for an international airport,” said Eng Mhike.

He said the local authority was yet to seal a deal with any partners for the construction of the airport although many companies have shown interest.

“As you know, this is a multi-million dollar project, if not billions, we cannot go it alone. We are therefore looking for partners to assist in the construction of the airport maybe in public-private partnership perhaps a built, operate and transfer deal or something along those lines. We will have to sit down as council and see how best we can handle it,” he said.

Eng Mhike said council was yet to draw a budget for the deal since it was still in the initial stages of planning and feasibility studies. “The land has been included on our master plan, but we are yet to budget for it. We are still in planning stages, but figures and every detail will be released in due course,” he said.

Kwekwe currently relies on an aerodrome near Mbizo suburb, which Eng Mhike said was earmarked for decommissioning soon as the nearby residential suburbs continue to develop towards the aerodrome.

“In consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority, we decided to decommission the aerodrome since it has become too close to residential areas which poses danger for the residents,” he said.

For now, he said, the aerodrome will continue functioning until such a time that it is decommissioned.

If successful, the airport project is expected to breathe life to the Midlands tourism sector which has many untapped tourist attractions.