New airport for Lephalale on the cards

LEPHALALE - With an increasing number of tourists visiting the Waterberg and the potential growth of Lephalale as a major economic hub in the province, the provincial department of transport announced that it will conduct a feasibility study to determine whether there is a need for a commercial airport in Lephalale.
Lephalale military airport is currently being rented out for use by a private company and the department wants to establish if the military airstrip should be upgraded to a full civilian airport.
According to the department’s spokesperson Thesan Moodley, the feasibility study will also determine the size and urgency for building such an airport.
“The Waterberg’s tourism potential might indicate a need for an airport to accommodate more private planes. And given infrastructure development in the Lephalale-area, the airport could also be used to transport specialised mining equipment,” he said.
According to Moodley, the transport department was also lobbying national government to upgrade Hoedspruit into an international airport.