R70 million allocated to GAAL to help reach its former glory
After a downgrade in April 2021, multiple meetings were held between GAAL and Provincial Government to assist the entity to reach self-sufficiency.
POLOKWANE – More than R932.6m has been allocated for public transport operations for the 2023/24 financial year, according to Transport MEC, Florence Radzilani.
From the overall amount, R70.4m will be apportioned to Gateway Airports Authority Limited (GAAL) – the owner of the Polokwane International Airport, to sustain its operations.
Multiple meetings were held between GAAL and Provincial Government to assist the entity to reach self-sufficiency, after having relied on government for financial backing for a considerable number of years, after facing a category downgrade on April 6, 2021.
Read more: Appeals process underway after Polokwane airport downgrade
A the time, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (Sacca) downgraded the Polokwane Aerodrome licence from a category seven to a category two, which meant that no commercial flights were permitted to or from the airport until the findings of an ad hoc inspection had been addressed.
The aviation authority at the time identified 14 issues that led to the downgrading. The halt in commercial flights saw a tremendous decline in revenue for the city and airport.
Read more: Airport downgrade strains local economy
During the tabling of her department’s budget vote, Radzilani said the allocation of funds was done with the understanding that government’s grant must ultimately diminish, as the entity’s turnaround strategy starts to bear fruit.
Her department, still under Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya’s administration as MEC, appointed a team of new staff from the departmental office to revive the entity back to category seven, which to date is steadily recovering, Radzilani remarked.
Close to R767.2m has been allocated for the bus subsidies programme, such as those of Great North Transport (GNT), in the 20023/24 financial year. “We are calling on municipalities to ensure that the designs of their Integrated Transport Plans are defined by public transport needs, and to avoid instances of oversupply, which in many instances lead to taxi conflict and violence,” she said.
The remainder of the R74.3m from the overall budget was allocated for employee compensation, according to the latest tabled budget vote.
