ERMELO – Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) celebrated the launch of drone services in the district and the establishment of Gert Sibande Aerospace Industrial Hub at a gala dinner at the GSDM office complex on June 15.
GSDM officials confirmed the industrial hub will be built at the Ermelo Airfield.
Msukaligwa Local Municipality’s (MLM) executive mayor, Cllr Shirley Nkosi, officially handed over the title deed of the Ermelo Airfield precinct to GSDM’s executive mayor, Cllr Walter Mngomezulu, during the celebration.
According to GSDM’s general manager in planning, economic development and innovation, Mthandeni Mkhonza, the aerospace industrial hub will boast an urban air mobility, arial photography, topographic surveys, infrastructure assessment and disaster service support.
“The industrial hub will offer various services. It will further be equipped with state-of-the art high-speed fibre infrastructure as well as a modern, highly secure data centre to take care of data security and communication security requirements,” Mkhonza said.
Although some residents may be sceptical of the abrupt change, which is expected to cost an undisclosed amount of money, GSDM assured them that the services will result in a variety of opportunities.
Mkhonza said the land in which the aerospace industrial hub will be build, cost an estimated amount of R11m, but was handed over by MLM for free.
“Change is hard, but we have to find a way to make it work. We urge young people in the district to take full ownership the upcoming opportunities in aviation.”
Thus far, GSDM has trained six pilots who will be navigating the unnamed vehicles (drones) and aims to offer training services to young people who are passionate about aviation.
