The City of Tshwane has denied claims by the DA that Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria has been left vulnerable because of the failure to appoint a new security company after the previous contract expired.
Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya also suggested that the opposition may have a vested interest in the expired contract.
The previous contract was marred by controversy, while Moya cited concerns about possible corruption in the current tender process as the reason for the delay.
“With so many strategic assets, they just worry about the airport. I wonder why. Anyway, the contract that we’re talking about has been there, and you would know since you were at Madlanga. Since 2018, there were issues, but it was approved by the court and extended many times over the years until it finally expired. So, in 2024, it was advertised, but unfortunately, the process was found to have potential corruption, so we had to cancel the tender and start again,” said Moya.
Last week, DA Chief Whip in Tshwane Dana Wannenburg criticised the municipality for failing to appoint a service provider before the previous contract ended, warning that the airport was now vulnerable.
Wannenburg said that, as a test, he drove in and out of the airport without anyone noticing him.
The mayor, however, maintains that the City’s own security personnel and the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) are sufficient to secure the airport while a new contractor is being sought.
“We have more than a thousand of our own security personnel and, of course, TMPD, who have been taking care of the airport while we sort out the contract issue. That’s what we have been working on recently,” she said.
Moya has called for patience and said she remains confident that a new security provider will soon be appointed.