Tradeport may finally become a reality

durban — problems holding back the long-awaited dube tradeport may be a thing of the past.

the planned new airport at la mercy, north of durban, with cargo facilities designed to boost exports, has been talked about since 1996 but has yet to become a reality.

but yesterday finance and economic development mec zweli mkhize said in a briefing ahead of his provincial budget speech tomorrow that the tradeport was a priority for the province.

he gave no further details, saying these would come tomorrow.

the r1,8bn project has been dogged by infighting between the airports company sa (acsa) and national and provincial governments, despite promises that it would be a reality by 2009.

mkhize’s comments yesterday follow a december announcement that the provincial government would fund the venture along with the development bank of southern africa.

mkhize did not say how capital would be raised, only rehashing 10-year-old answers that various options were under consideration, including public-private partnerships.

last month acsa, the provincial government and transport minister jeff radebe signed a memorandum of understanding that removed some stumbling blocks, including acsa’s ownership of the land.