- Security contracts at Wonderboom Airport expired on 30 September.
- Concerns have been raised about access control and interim security measures.
- The DA is calling for an immediate security assessment and an explanation from the City.
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.
If I can drive into an airport facility without encountering meaningful security controls, who else can get in?
That is the question the Tshwane administration must answer.
Wonderboom Airport is not an ordinary municipal property. 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.
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.
Instead, residents and businesses are now expected to trust vague assurances about enhanced security while serious questions remain about access control and the protection of valuable assets.
This is another example of an administration that is reactive instead of proactive, offers excuses instead of solutions, and makes promises instead of delivering.
The people of Tshwane deserve better.
You cannot run a capital city by waiting for something to go wrong before you act.
The DA demand an immediate security assessment of Wonderboom Airport, clear disclosure of the interim security arrangements, and an explanation from the administration as to why adequate replacement security was not in place when the contracts expired.
As mentioned in our DA Local Government Manifesto, if elected to govern Tshwane, we will work to develop airports and their surrounding areas as economic hubs that attract aviation-related businesses, investment and jobs. We will also strengthen municipal policing, partnerships with SAPS and private security, and the use of modern technology to protect critical infrastructure. Wonderboom Airport must be properly secured, professionally managed and used to its full economic potential.
Tshwane needs a government that protects its assets, protects its economy and protects its residents. The current administration is failing on all three.