Lebone Rodah Mosima
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson and North West Premier Lazarus Kagiso Mokgosi have signed two memoranda of understanding to accelerate the redevelopment of Pilanesberg Airport and provide technical support to a struggling local municipality.
Macpherson said the agreements would support “structured development, improved connectivity, tourism growth, and sustained job creation” centred on Pilanesberg Airport, near the Sun City resort, and extend Infrastructure South Africa’s (ISA) Presidential Adopt a Municipality pilot programme to the Ramotshere Moi loa Local Municipality.
“Standing here at Pilanesberg Airport is deeply symbolic. In 2023, this airport suffered a devastating fire,” Macpherson said.
“The damage was immediate and visible – but so too was the impact on connectivity, tourism flows, and investor confidence.”
Macpherson said his department, through ISA and the North West provincial government, had agreed to create a structured programme of project preparation and packaging support for the North West Aviation Infrastructure Programme over the next 24 to 36 months.
“This is not a rushed rebuild, or a cosmetic upgrade,” Macpherson said.
“It is a disciplined process to prepare projects properly, to strengthen business cases, to ensure governance standards are met, and to position the airport redevelopment to crowd in blended finance and private participation where appropriate.”
He said the airport was strategically important to the provincial economy because of its proximity to Sun City Resort, one of South Africa’s flagship tourism destinations and a major employer. Representatives of Sun International attended the ceremony, he said.
The second MoU brings the Ramotshere Moi-loa Local Municipality into ISA’s Presidential Adopt a Municipality pilot programme for the next 24 to 36 months, with targeted technical support focused on water and sanitation, electricity and energy, and waste management.
“This programme was then taken to and approved by the Presidential Infrastructure
Coordinating Commission because we must confront a hard truth: too many municipalities struggle to translate budgets into functioning infrastructure,” he said.
“When water does not flow, when sewage systems fail, when electricity networks collapse, the consequences are immediate and deeply personal.”
Macpherson said the programme was not intended to take over municipal responsibilities, but to strengthen delivery capability so that projects are completed, assets are maintained, and services improve in measurable ways.
Seven priority municipal projects have already been identified, he said, with support focused on strengthening planning, funding and implementation capacity using the Five Case Model methodology, which assesses projects for strategic alignment, economic value, financial sustainability and deliverability before construction begins.
“This may sound technical, but its impact is simple: fewer stalled projects, fewer incomplete sites, and more infrastructure that works long after the ribbon is cut,” Macpherson said.
The North West has one of South Africa’s weakest labour markets. Official unemployment stood at about 35% in the final quarter of 2025, while measures that include discouraged jobseekers were above 50%, according to Statistics South Africa.
Macpherson said that construction should remain a leading job-creating sector. The industry created 35,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025, he said, after adding 130,000 jobs in the third quarter.
“The message from Pilanesberg Airport today is clear: partnerships deliver results that create jobs and grow the economy,” he said.
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