The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo will submit questions for written response to the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Violet Mathye, over yet another lacklustre performance of Gateway Airports Authority Limited (GAAL).
As the only shareholder of this bust 3D schedule public entity, MEC Mathye has a responsibility to exercise ownership control over GAAL in compliance with the PFMA and ensure to financial viability as set out in the mandatory Shareholder’s Compact.
For over a decade now, GAAL has not only been a burden on the provincial fiscus, but the incompetency and lack of leadership exacerbate its continued failure to turn a profit.
During the 2024/2025 financial year, the department allocated more than R89 million as a conditional grant for earmarked projects.
R74 million which was reprioritised due to the inability to implement, but despite this reprioritisation, GAAL still incurred a R17 million underspent due to delays in drafting of tender specifications due to capacity challenges in Supply Chain Management, which led to majority of the projects again being deferred to the next financial year.
Despite this failure in the previous financial year, R152 million was again set aside for GAAL to mismanage during the 2025/2026 financial year.
GAAL also received R40 million on the 2025/2026 adjustment budget for recapitalisation to spend on a complaint landing system, which did not materialise due to dodgy tender specifications which Provincial Treasury found to be indicative of political interference and possible corruption.
The lack of a compliant landing system not only endangers the lives of passengers in bad weather, as planes cannot land and must be turned away, but flights are cancelled adding to the entity’s financial distress.
There are also continued delays in the securing of the perimeter, upgraded parking areas, landscaping and the building of hangars and the erection of billboards.
Airports are catalysts to economic growth; as they generate employment opportunities, act as gateways for tourism and business and attract commercial development there by stimulating new investment and promoting local economic activity- it is time for GAAL and its shareholder to contribute to the provincial fiscus, rather than just haemorrhaging cash.
The DA will request MEC Mathye for details of this continued lack of implementing a landing system and will further request a forensic investigation into this continued delay.