The Democratic Alliance (DA) has accused the City of Tshwane of jeopardising safety at Wonderboom Airport by allowing security contracts to expire.
Dana Wannenburg, the DA Chief Whip in Tshwane, said, without providing details, that the airport is particularly vulnerable, claiming that he had personally driven in and out of the facility without being noticed.
“The City of Tshwane has allowed security contracts to expire at a time when one of its most strategically important and valuable facilities appears dangerously exposed.
“I personally drove into and out of Wonderboom Airport and was shocked by the apparent lack of effective access control and visible security. At a facility containing high-value aircraft, aviation infrastructure and dozens of businesses, this is simply unacceptable,” he said in a statement.
“If I can drive into an airport facility without encountering meaningful security controls, who else can get in?” Wannenburg questioned.
That is the question the Tshwane administration must answer, he said.
Wannenboom Airport, he said, is not an ordinary municipal property, as it supports more than 2,500 people, accommodates dozens of aviation businesses and records more than 148,000 aircraft movements annually.
“It is a major economic asset for Tshwane and is home to aircraft and infrastructure potentially worth hundreds of millions of rand. Yet the City allowed its previous security contracts to expire on 30 September,” he said.
In 2025 and early 2026, Newsnote reported on the City’s plans to revamp the airport.
Wannenburg rejected the City’s assurance that the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) was working on an interim intervention.
“The City’s attempt to reassure residents by saying that the TMPD is coordinating interim measures does not remove the fundamental concern. Security at a high-risk aviation facility should never depend on last-minute contingency arrangements. The administration knew these contracts were expiring. It had months to ensure there was a seamless transition,” he said.
Ironically, the DA has itself been among the most vocal critics of the City’s security expenditure, claiming that it benefits politically connected individuals, including the Deputy Mayor and former ANC regional chairperson Eugene Modise, who has since resigned from the company with which he was associated.
The DA’s criticism comes just days after the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Tlangi Mogale, hosted a special Elders Flight Day at the airport, during which scores of elderly residents were given their first flying experience.
“A heartfelt thank you to our senior citizens, their children, families, caregivers and everyone who opened their hearts and allowed us to spend this special day with you. The joy, laughter and beautiful memories we shared made the Elders Flight truly unforgettable.
“It was an honour for the City of Tshwane, together with myself as MMC for Transport, to spend the day celebrating and creating this wonderful experience and memories with our elders.
“Thank you for allowing us to share in your smiles and your stories,” Mogale said in social media posts showing elderly residents being taken on helicopter flights.