Mkuze airport project

The development of Mkuze Airport has apparently been delayed due to to financial issues. Photograph: Democratic Alliance

New Mkuze Airport: Project is now on the brink of collapse – DA MPL

Concerns about major delays with the development of Mkuze Airport have been raised following an oversight visit to the site this week.

Mkuze airport project

The development of Mkuze Airport has apparently been delayed due to to financial issues. Photograph: Democratic Alliance

Aimed at boosting direct tourism and economic development into the uMkhanyakude region, the R67 million Mkuze Airport project is allegedly standing on the brink of collapse.

This was the warning from Democratic Alliance spokesperson on Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Heinz de Boer, this week.

Mkuze Airport, which has the second longest runway in KZN, is strategically located in the heart of the province’s northern tourism corridor and has massive potential to impact the economic development of the uMkhanyakude region.

De Boer said the discovery of the current state of the project had been made during an oversight inspection by the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) portfolio committee on Wednesday.

“During the visit it was established that the terminal building is currently standing at 60% completion, but may well be significantly delayed due to the non-transfer of funds from Provincial Treasury and KZN’s Department of Transport (DoT),” de Boer said.

“It is anticipated that the entire project may come to a stop within a week should Treasury and DoT respectively fail to make the allocated R10 million and R25 million tranche payments. Information indicates that Treasury is awaiting the DoT payment which was scheduled to be transferred in March,” he said.

The uMkhanyakude the district ranks as one of the poorest in the country and plans to link the airport to international tourism visits, motor sports and a proposed commercial development would significantly boost the economy.

“Instead, inter-departmental disputes and late payments are potentially destroying any progress. Regrettably this is the hallmark of government ineptitude and may, in this case, lead to a major blow to the poorest of municipal regions,” de Boer said.

He added that the DA had posed written parliamentary questions to KZN EDTEA MEC Ravi Pillay. 

“We sincerely hope that he will give this matter the attention it deserves and intervene to secure the funds this critical project needs to stay on course.”

EDTEA, the DOT and Treasury had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publishing on Thursday.