North West airport dilapidated

The North West community safety and transport management MEC Sello Lehari has to appear before the provincial legislature’s portfolio committee on public works and roads to respond to allegations of fraud and corruption at Dick Montshioa Airport in Mahikeng.

The once attractive airport is in a shocking state. The glass windows in the buildings are broken the ceilings are torn open exposing the roof, the seats in the security patrol room are tattered and the overgrown grass makes it difficult to see the buildings from afar.

Service providers raised alert

Chair of the provincial portfolio committee on public works Mmoloki Cwaile and committee member Aaron Motswana made an unannounced visit this week after other service providers raised the alert that the contracted company was apparently short-selling the department by reducing the number of guards deployed at the airport.

“The building is surrounded by unkempt grounds and the lights are not working at night, which makes one wonder how these security guards are conducting perimeter patrols.

The situation is exacerbated by lack of torches with batteries. Their only weapons are batons despite the company’s service being deemed of a specialised nature,” Cwaile said.

READ MORE: R10m upgrade for Margate Airport

‘No commitment’

The committee also said that in terms of the contract, there are too few security personnel on site, except at the cargo site where there are two security personnel in accordance with the contract.

A social activist from Mahikeng, Thato Molosankwe, said: “There is absolutely no commitment to fix or maintain the infrastructure which was built during Bophuthatswana.

For the ANC to fix the appalling infrastructure there should be interest, commitment and passion. One must be committed to the cause in order to do what Bophuthatswana was able to do.

“The ANC is able to do it in Gauteng where there are always newly built roads and other buildings while it is a different story in the North West.

“In North West, money meant to improve roads is taken back into the National Treasury. “Community safety and transport management is not even making an effort to revamp the airport, yet they spend R9 million annually on security.

“Calculated since 2018, the department has spent R45 million. This benefits companies in Gauteng whereas companies in the North West are deprived of opportunities.”

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