By OBAKENG MAJE
4 June 2025- The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng is expected to appear before the North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management on Thursday. Morweng is expected to provide the committee with answers regarding illegal occupation of GD Montshioa Airport.
According to the Chairperson of the North West Provincial Legislature’ on Community Safety and Transport Management, Freddy Sonakile, they will also engage the department on its final Annual Performance Plan (APP) and Budget allocations for 2025/26 too. Sonakile said this comes after a prior meeting where the committee expressed its deep dissatisfaction with the department’s failure to provide adequate responses to key questions and referred the matter back for further clarity.
“To ensure transparency and gather all relevant perspectives, the committee has formally invited the two aviation schools allegedly operating at the airport to appear before it.
“This engagement aims to clarify their legal status, understand the scope of their operations, and determine whether due processes have been followed in relation to airport use and lease agreements,” he said.
Sonakile further said the members of the committee will also be available for media interviews immediately after the meeting, where they will outline the way forward in resolving this matter and reaffirm the Legislature’s commitment to accountability, lawful governance and the protection of public assets. He added that the meeting will be held at GD Montshioa Airport on 5 June 2025 at 10am.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in North West Provincial Secretary, Papiki Babuile said he is not surprised by these kinds of allegations because South Africa has incompetent and pitiable police intelligence. Babuile said two months ago, they embarked on an oversight visit at the airport and noticed infrequent activities, where planes were allegedly illegally landing.
“Remember, when it comes to police intelligence, we are very weak in South Africa, particularly in the North West. We actually embarked on an oversight visit two months ago at the airport and noticed that there were planes landing, which were not supposed to be at that airport.
“The department was not even aware of such activities. We were wondering as the North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management that, who are these individuals, who authorised them and who are they working for and what kind of activities are they running,” he said.
Babuile said they want Morweng to be held accountable. He said they will engage with the police and ensure that a criminal case is opened against malefactors.
“Not long ago, there was illegal mining taking place in Stilfontein for months and our police intelligence could not even pick that up. So, we are vulnerable when it comes to police intelligence,” he said.
The department has not responded to The Guardian Newspaper media inquiry citing that the matter will be dealt with during the meeting with the committee.
Meanwhile, the department has sent a notice of suspension or transfer letter to the Director, Thabo Sematle, who was allegedly responsible for day-to-day duties at the airport.
The Guardian 