Master of ceremonies
Ms Ina Cronje, MEC for Finance;
Ms Zanele Magwaza-Msibi, Mayor of Zululand;
Cllr E Qwabe, Deputy Mayor of Zululand;
Mr Brad Dikson, Operations Director of Federal Air;
Cllr HA Hlwatshwayo, Speaker of Zululand;
Councillors present;
Traditional leaders;
Honoured guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Day
It is a deep sense of joy and satisfaction that we are gathered here today to kick-start the process that will make rural development a reality for the people of Zululand.
It is exactly three months since the provincial cabinet announced that historic decision of investing R30 million towards the upgrade of Prince Mangosuthu Airport.
Whilst demonstrating the provincial government’s commitments towards driving investments in infrastructure, this decision reaffirmed our determination to speeding up rural development.
As government we believe that infrastructure development is the foundation for poverty reduction and economic growth. Historic under-investment in basic infrastructure such roads and transportation has undermined the growth potential of many parts of this province, especially rural areas.
In spatial-economic terms, the economic contribution to provincial Gross Value Add (GVA) is largely driven by eThekwini (53%), uMgungundlovu (12%) and uThungulu (8%).
This indicates that economic activity is dominated by the three cities of Ethekwini, Msunduzi and Umhlatuze, with the remainder of the smaller towns and rural areas contributing less than 30% to total GVA.
This is largely due to the infrastructure that exists within the city economies and this highlights the need for investment into economic infrastructure within less dominant towns to create other significant contributing economic nodes.
In view of this, I wish to emphasize that the major priority for the province at this stage is to build a modern infrastructure, particularly transportation and logistics, that reduces business costs, enhances competitiveness and drives future growth.
Recently, the provincial cabinet accepted an advice from the Provincial Planning Commission that emphasizes that KwaZulu-Natal’s development strategy over the next 20 years should be geared towards economic and development drivers that will enhance the integration of this province into global economy.
Trade and tourism remains the lead instruments of this integration process, but trade and tourism cannot take place without adequate infrastructure. Tourism is a key sector within the KZN economy and holds much potential. KZN is a leading domestic tourism destination and this has got to be maximized.
We are therefore focusing on niche markets such as nature-based tourism, cultural tourism and our rich history. For instance, in 2009 we launched a multimillion media centre called UMgungundlovu few kilometers away from here.
The R34 million state of the art centre is located at the precinct of King Dingane’s uMgungundlovu resident at Mkhumbane Valley – Emakhosini; which is regarded as the birth place of the Zulu nation.
The site has a memorial constructed to preserve and restore the history of the Zulu Kings.
The memorial is also symbolic of the conflict of cultures and civilizations as the first group of Voortrekkers clashed with Zulu nation that had made this area their home and kingdom. Piet Retief lies buried there and as were the remains of the commandos who fell with him in 1838.
This airport and Umgungundlovu Multimedia Centre compliments one another as catalysts for tourism. [1]
Ladies and Gentlemen, today’s event is timely given the fact that October is Transport Month.
This year’s theme is “Year of job creation and service delivery in the transport sector: Moving South Africa to a better tomorrow”.
As the provincial government we see transport and the aviation sector as integral to creating job opportunities and securing the future growth of this province.
The country’s aviation industry in particular shows tremendous growth.
Statistics indicates that in 1993 less than 12 international airlines flew into South Africa.
Since the new dispensation, more than 70 international airlines fly into the country with the Airport Company of South Africa handling more than 16.8 million departing passengers annually.
In addition, statistics show that ACSA is experiencing an annual growth of 10.8 percent. In 2010, African airlines-passenger-traffic show growth numbers of 12.90% and air cargo growth by 23.80% compared to 2009 according to the African Airline Association. No doubt, airports, airlines and associated industries generate billions of rands of economic output and job opportunities for many people.
Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, air connectivity is critical to this province as it is one of the effective catalysts for socio-economic development. It has helped the province’s economy integrate with economies of the world as demonstrated by King Shaka International Airport.
Several years ago the Province of KwaZulu-Natal recognized the importance of air capabilities both from a passenger and cargo perspective.
For these reasons we took the bold decisions to invest in what we believe to be critical and strategic air infrastructure to realize our vision for sustainable growth and development.
To date, the development of the aerotropolis of King Shaka International Airport and the Dube Trade Port has enhanced the Province’s competitive edge in transportation and freight logistics.
This transport and commercial hub provides an effective platform for forging trade linkages between provinces within the country, neighbouring states and the rest of the world (particularly the Asian and South American sub-continents), giving effect to the idea of KwaZulu-Natal being the gateway to South and Southern Africa. This status has also enabled us to attract considerable investment spin-offs.
Recently, we hosted the first ever Africa Air Cargo Summit on the African soil.
This summit was attended by CEOs and other influential representatives of cargo companies from across the world. I was surprised by their level of interests in province’s aviation industry and their willingness to explore this industry even further.
This vote of confidence has encouraged us to modernize our small airports in this province – not only to allow for an easy flow of passengers and tourists to various corners of this province - but to make our airport attractive destinations for future investments.
There are currently 130 airstrips in this province. These consist of numerous types; from small dirt landing strips to regional airports such as Oribi, Margate, Umkhuze, Virginia and this airport.
At this point Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to congratulate Federal Air for being chosen as the service provider of flights between this Prince Mangosuthu Airport and Oribi Airport.
What fascinates me is to hear that the company operates charter flights, shuttle services and scheduled services in various parts of Africa. We are hopeful that in the future, we will have flights from this airport to other parts of Africa.
As government we are cognizant of the fact that South Africa has bilaterally liberalized air transport agreements with a number of African States and these includes Botswana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Libya, Gabon and Egypt.
In the case of Botswana, the two counties have signed an open skies agreement allowing airlines to operate an unrestricted number of air services subject to safety considerations.
As for Kenya, the bilateral agreement between the two countries has been revised to provide for unrestricted frequency and capacity. This has facilitated the growth in air services between the two countries to over thirty (30) weekly frequencies.
This on its own provides a great potential for this province.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this event today is a demonstration that working together we can build a prosperous and sustainable future.
The government’s New Growth Path (NGP), places emphasis on the need to create sustainable employment within the country in order to achieve growth and development, and to assist in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
Because the an effective delivery of strategic infrastructure results in many people being lifted out of poverty, we can safely say that other effects includes access to education and health services, access to water, reduction in child mortality, the improvement of maternal health and combating of disease.
In conclusion, considering the fact that in November we will host the COP17, I wish to emphasize the fact that the provincial government is committed to working with all stakeholders in this province and nationally to create an aviation sector that will deliver social and economic benefits, while reducing carbon emissions.
During the Pre COP17 Summit held recently, one of the resolutions was the establishment of a Climate Change Advisory Council. Once this council has been established, we hope it will provide strategic advice about how reductions in emissions can be achieved in this province.
We understand the important role aviation plays in our economy. Equally, we understand challenges faced by aviation in terms of Climate Change.
It is for these reasons that we want to work with all stakeholders to address the challenges of climate change so that aviation will continue play its part in securing sustainable future economic growth of this province.
With those words, I wish you all the best.
Thank you.
Enquiries:
Spokesperson for the Premier - Ndabezinhle Sibiya
Cell: 082 3754742
