Swaziland spends R1m on Kuwaiti PM

MBABANE – Swaziland spent nearly R1m to rent ground equipment from OR Tambo International Airport to permit the plane of Kuwait’s prime minister to land in the country last week. “It was of vital importance that we got the equipment into the country to accommodate the Kuwaiti delegation,” said Minister of Public Works and Transport, Nthuthuko Dlamini. Leading a 60-man delegation, Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah wanted to fly directly into Swaziland rather than SA and then drive overland from Jo’burg. A private firm was contracted to drive six heavyduty pieces of equipment from Ortia to meet and service the PM’s Airbus 310. Equipment included a ground power unit, mobile steps to attach to the cabin door, a high loader to offload and load baggage, a catering truck and a waste disposal unit. Indicating the lack of capacity at Swaziland’s sole airport to handle anything larger than a small jet, a tow tractor was also rented to move the Airbus away from the apron where it was parked next to the terminal building. “Starting the jet’s engines at the terminal would shatter all the windows,” said airport manager Jabulani Ngubane. The Kuwaitis signed bilateral agreements with Swaziland pertaining to infrastructure projects and investment in the country, including an Air Services Agreement. The delegation will also visit Benin, Comoros, Senegal and Ethiopia to sign similar agreements.