Runway for KZN tourism
Mkhuze Airport’s rehabilitation key to success.
THIS week marked another historic milestone in our collective endeavour to ensure that much-needed economic development takes place in our beautiful province.
We are deservedly elated at the launch of the rehabilitation of the Mkhuze Airport runway, a move which will, without a doubt, see the airport playing an enormous role in unleashing economic opportunities for this District of umkhanyakude.
What really strikes me and is close to my heart is to see this type of investment in rural areas desperate for jobs and economic opportunities.
It is undeniable that the aviation sector plays a pivotal role in the economy, not only of the province but the country. This industry creates jobs that directly serve passengers at airlines, airports and air navigation service providers.
Given our quest to ensure increased cargo and passenger throughput at the King Shaka International Airport, we have identified regional airports as strategic pillars that require infrastructure upgrades.
To this end, we have resolved to support the functioning, promotion and development of regional airports.
While international and national airports are the responsibility of the Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa), municipal airports do not form part of the Acsa portfolio, to their detriment.
Therefore, the responsibility of ensuring that these regional airports do not waste away falls squarely upon ourselves as the provincial government, working in conjunction with municipalities in which these airports are located.
As the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, we are currently in the process of implementing the Integrated Aerotropolis Strategy. While this is premised on an efficiently connected King Shaka International Airport, the provincial government believes that in the medium to long term, regional airports will provide King Shaka International Airport with a strategic linkage in terms of cargo and passenger connectivity.
Learning from the current development of the Durban Aerotropolis at King Shaka International Airport, the airport precinct will cater for aviation and non-aviation land uses.
In this regard, the Mkhuze Airport is strategically located in the prime tourism destination of the umkhanyakude District, which has the highest concentration of game reserves in the country, including Thanda, Phinda, umkhuze, Pongola, Hluhluwe, Leopard Mountain, Rhino River, Bayete Zulu and Tembe Elephant Park.
We therefore envisage that the Mkhuze airport will improve accessibility and connectivity to umkhanyakude and the province at large, while at the same time create a strategically located airport for emergency situations be they medical, fire or rescue flights. Equally, we also expect that it will cater for freight aircraft, fuel supply to aircraft, pilot training, firefighting training, anti-poaching exercises and other aviation activities.
Through these infrastructure upgrades, our provincial government is paving the way for the private sector to get involved and I am glad that already some potential investors are showing an appetite for services at the airport. We want to get the airport to a state that makes it attractive for investment in the area.
The vision of Mkhuze Airport is to reach International Civil Aviation Organisation Category 3 status, where the aerodrome can accommodate up to 100-seater aircraft.
There are, however, regulations and civil aviation laws that need to be adhered to before it can reach this status. Hence, our team’s first task, back in 2015, was to ensure safety and security of the airport.
We celebrate this achievement with the completion of a five-kilometre fence that cost the department R5 million.
One of the benefits of infrastructure development is the number of current and future jobs created, coupled with the skills beneficiaries will gain and have gained thus far.
Each initiative should employ local people, which in turn allows money to circulate within Mkhuze and the surrounding area, benefiting the community directly.
Therefore, within the bigger picture of the airport development, we want to see a more integrated collaborative approach with the many public and private reserves and lodges in the area, many of whom have their own air strips, to consider using Mkhuze airport as their primary port of call.
A prime model to follow would be Skukuza airport, which serves not only the Kruger National Park but many of the other surrounding reserves and Ezemvelo Wildlife can assist with this.
We do not only want Mkhuze airport to cater for the overflow from the Kruger National Park but create its own globally recognised identity, where international tourists can be flown into King Shaka International Airport and directed to Mkhuze for a better safari experience.
This week we launched the runway and apron rehabilitation project on the 30-year-old airstrip.
It is anticipated that the project will cost about R27m and an extra R5m has been allocated for fencing. We encourage the private sector to play its part.
We hope to partner with the private sector to tailor design and construct a terminal building.
Further, the airport is surrounded by vacant developable land that makes provision for non-aviation activities.
The infrastructure upgrades at the airport fit well within our Provincial Spatial Economic Development Strategy. Municipalities such as ethekwini and Msunduzi generally receive greater attention in terms of investment attraction by both public and private sectors, thereby skewing levels of development throughout the province.
The provincial government has taken various initiatives to reduce the spatial inequalities and to ensure sustainable rural economic development in the province.
Another interesting project that augurs well for investing in the development of Mkhuze Airport is a type of Border Development Zone, given the airport’s strategic location to the neighbouring countries of Mozambique and Swaziland.
Sihle Zikalala is the Kwazulu-natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.