Welkom wants first all-cargo airport

WELKOM HAS joined the list of South African centres wanting to become the site of the country's first all-cargo airport. The Matjhabeng Municipal Council, which controls Welkom as one of six towns under its wing, has put forward a proposal in this respect to the Free State provincial government.
"The proposal for the airport was presented to the office of the premier at the beginning of June. We estimate that it will cost R200million to build," says executive mayor Serake Leeuw.
The project, he says, has the approval of the national government and now needs to go through the provincial parliament and then gain the approval of the Department of Trade and Industry.
"Welkom is at the centre of the country. It is equidistant to every province and is therefore ideally situated to serve as a cargo airport," he says. "We have information that there is a market for such a venture because Johannesburg International is unable to handle all the packages coming in from abroad."
As a result, parcels and other goods are piling up, unattended, at Botswana International Airport, claims the mayor. The council believes that more than 200 jobs can be created if its programme gets the green light.