By Lerato Mutlanyane
Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality has always been a city of innovation and implementation.
Now, it’s setting its sights on the sky. A new collaboration with aviation leader Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) promises to transform the city’s airport from a simple transit point into a powerful engine for economic growth.
In a media briefing this morning at the Bram Fischer International Airport, the Manguang Metropolitan Municipality, led by City Manager Sello Moroe joined by the General Manager of the ACSA, Faith Zwane and other stakeholders from the Department of Transport, responsible for aviation, as well as Provincial Department of Economic Development, gathered to officially announce the collaboration that will be formed to stimulate and build the economy of Mangaung.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) marks a shared commitment to unlock opportunities that will benefit the people and businesses of Mangaung, as the Bram Fischer International Airport plays a vital role in connecting our province to the rest of South Africa and beyond.
This partnership will birth landside development to bring efficient and cost-effective integrated transport accessibility to the residents of Manguang, signage with regards to access to the roads that are coming into the airport, and the establishment of a functional cargo airport, and there are plans to maximize the use of small airports such as the Thaba Nchu and The Tempe Airports.
Based on economic development, collaborative initiatives such as these are set to stimulate the economy with a primary factor of prioritizing the logistics sector through the tourism element looking at the huge trade investments, which will help create jobs that will benefit the entire value chain of the residents of Mangaung, including the community, and small business development. And lastly establishing the city as a logistic and commercial hub.
This MOU with the municipality aligns with the district development model, which is an ecosystem that the government is using to ensure collaboration and partnerships with an outcome of job creation, economic growth, and developments that are based on trade and investment promotion.
The plans of the Memorandum of Understanding are set in concrete.
“Airports are not just a gateway for passengers and cargo, but they play a very catalytic role in economic opportunities for the provinces and connecting the Free State to the rest of South Africa and the world. Through this partnership with the municipality, we aim that we're going to strengthen the role of airports as key drivers of tourism, as you've mentioned, trade, investment, as well as important for us, job creation.”
“Today's MOU signing signifies a mutual commitment to collaboration and it further creates a framework at which we're going to hold each other accountable, City Manager, in terms of making sure that we work together to unlock these opportunities that I've just mentioned and improving infrastructure on the joint and ensure that development initiatives are aligned to a broader strategic priority for the city” said Faith Zwane, General Manager of the Airports Company South Africa.
